IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-S) 


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'-  IIIIIM 

32 


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m 
m 


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1.8 


1.25 

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1.6 

-* 6"     

► 

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Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


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CIHM/ICMH 

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CIHIVI/ICMH 
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Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


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A 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibllographiques 


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I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


D 


D 
D 
D 
D 
D 

D 


D 


Couverture  endommagie 


Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurfte  et/ou  pellicul^e 


I      I    Cover  title  missing/ 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


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Q^ 


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D 

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includes  supplementary  materia 
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Ce  document  est  i\\w6  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqu6  ci-dessous. 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

30X 

y 

12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


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to  the  generosity  of: 

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Bibliothdque  nationals  du  Canada 


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premidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — ^>  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  imago  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — »>  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
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beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
film^s  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diff6rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
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de  Tangle  supdrieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  ndcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mdthode. 


1 

2 

3 

32X 


1 

2 

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5 

6 

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IPancoupct 
ITelan^.. 


;-^- 


AND 


ITS  /MISSIONS 


1874-1900 


REMINISCENCES 


-ov 


THE  REV,  A.  J,  BRABANT 


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4'  1 


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PREFACE. 


THIilSE  reminiscences  were  not  written  for  publication,  i  had  kept  a 
journal  for  my  personal  use — /u^c  olim  mcminisse  jitvabit — and 
also  for  the  benefit  of  priests  who  in  the  course  of  time  would  follow  me 
in  the  same  field  of  labor.  As  I  was  sent  out  by  Bishop  Christie,  D.D.  of 
the  diocese  of  Vancouver  Island,  now  Archbishop  of  Oregon,  to  take  up  a 
collection  for  the  needs  of  our  Indian  work,  the  editor  of  the  Messenger  of 
the  Sacred  Heart  proposed  to  publish  the  "  Reminiscences,''  so  as  to 
attract  the  attention  of  his  numerous  readers  and  facilitate  my  work  of 
collecting  ;  and  as  his  proposition  was  accompanied  by  a  generous  remu- 
neration I  succumbed  to  a  very  strong  temptation. 

The  reader  will  notice  at  once  many  defects  and  some  misspelled 
Indian  names  of  places  with  which  the  editor  was  naturally  unfamiliar  and 
which  the  writer  had  not  a  chance  to  correct  in  the  proofs.  The  correct 
terms  are  printed  below  in  a  list  of  Errata.  I  hope  to  issue  the  ''  Remi- 
niscences''  in  a  different  form  in  the  course  of  time,  and  also  to  add  sev- 
eral chapters  of  ancient  historical  facts  about  this  unknown  coast  and 
people.  Meanwhile  I  send  a  copy  of  them  as  they  now  read  to  old  and 
new  friends. 

Those  who  have  neither  the  taste  nor  leisure  to  read  them  in  ex- 
tcnso  will  please  cast  a  glance  at  the  closing  chapter  ;  and  after  doing  so 
will  put  their  hands  into  their  purse  and  send  a  contribution  to  the  needs 
of  our  missionary  labors. 

Thereby  they  will  secure  a  share  in  our   usual  prayers  and    Holy 
Sacrifices  for  our  benefactors  and  deserve  the  heartfelt   thanks  of  their 
Humble  Servant  in  Christ, 

(Revd.)  A.  J.  Brabant, 

Hesquiat,  B.  C. 

West  Coast  Vancouver  Island,  Canada. 


..1  .J 


ERRATA. 

Fage  I— For  San  Juan  de  Fuco,  read  Juan  de  Kmo. 

"     I —  "  there  are,  rea  1  ihert-  -ir/v  absolutely  no  white  settlers. 

"      I —  "  except,  read  fillier  on  foot  or  horseback. 

"     3 —  "  Trapsota,  read  Kragsota. 

"     3 —  "  Nakoun,  reatl  Jlakooni. 

"     4— "   McKay,  read  McKay. 

"     4 — "   Kiristog,  tend  Kwi.stog. 

"     4 — "  I. any,  read  l.anj;. 

"     5—  "  Clarkkouikoie,  read  Clnrkkonikoiie. 

"     5,  20 — For  "  With  Kdutl,'  read  "  Wish  K'n  il  ' 

"     6 — For  F.chochist,  read  Kcha-chist. 

"     6,  14,  18— For  Opfcssat,  read  Opetsat. 

"     6 — For  Siekn,  read  'I'sieka. 

"     9 —  "   Neiwhoi,  read  Heiwhoi. 

"   10,  16— For  Newchaliots,  read  Newchnlats. 

"   10 — l*'or  Khetlesat,  read  Fhattisat. 

"    12 —  "  Ochuklesat,  read  Ochuklisat. 

"   14 —  "  Kgatisni,  read  Khaitisat.  • 

*'   14,  16 — For  Ksik  ta-kis,  read  'I'sik-la-kis. 
,     '•   i() — For  (  ah  Sis,  read 'I'nh  Sis. 

"   18 —  "   Mdkivinna,  rend  Mokwinna, 

"  20 —  "  Wannicaiuit,  rcatl  Naniucaniis. 

"  20-  -        Wanainio,  rt-iid  Nanainio. 

"   21,  8.; — For  Aliierin,  rea<l  .Mbrrni. 

"  21 — ^For  Cuglar,  ic.id  Taylor. 

"   21 —  "   Iseshals,  read   Tsesh.its. 

"  23 —   "   KeasI,  read  Keasl. 

"   26,  J I — For  I.etlet,  rca«i  I.eplet. 

''   27— For  Mcowchal.  read  Mowuchal. 

"  27    -   "   Ned   Thoriilierg,  rt-ad  Fred  'rhornbcig. 

"   27 —   "   Murray,  read  Marlin. 

"  ,51--  "    "  Asi-tikis,"'  reail  "  Tsatikis." 

"  42 —   "   St.  Anthony,  read  St.  Aiilhonine. 

"  47,  48 — For  "  oseniecli  "'  read  "  oseinitch." 

"  47 — For  "  Wa-we-nienie,"  read  "  lla  wc-iin.'' 

"  47 —  "   Kwa-yetsininii,  read   Kwa-yetsini. 

"  47—  "    Kwaitliume,  read    Kwayeisim. 

"  48 —   "  Wawilt-illsois,  read  llawiti-illsois. 

"  48—  "  "  Wakoni  "  read  "  Hakooni." 

"  59 —   '*   Djekiesat,  read  Chicklisat. 

"  59 —  "  mar,  read  way. 

"  S9i  7'  —  For  "  osenitcli.'' read  "  oseniitch." 

"  66,  67,  75 — For  "  C'hookwahu,"  read  Tlokwnhnn. 

"  8j —  For  leaking  schooners,  read  sealing  schooners. 


^■■■PB- 


1 


CONTENTS. 


PAOI 

The  field  of  lal)or I 

First  visit  to  the  "  West  Coast  "  Indians 3 

Second  visit 12 

First  mission  estal)iishe(l  at  I Ie»i|uint. —Wreck  of  the  Imrk  /c"r/;i'/« ai 

Incidents  of  missionary  trip  on  the  coast aj 

Smallpox  in  the  village. — Hurial  of  dpn<i 34 

Murderous  attack  of  Matlahaw 36 

Would-be  revenge  on  culprit  by  Indians 27 

News  of  attempt  on  life  carried  to  Victoria. — Arrival  of  ISishop  Segher"  on  a  man-of-war  28 

A  dead  whale  towed  in  shore.  -Mysterious  powers  of  chief  "  Koninnah  "and  how  obtained  33 

Inciilenls  attending  the  birth  of  an  Indian  child  ;  names 33 

'I  he  Indian  feast    "  I'otlach  " .    .    •  35 

hirst  Catholic  funeral 36 

Iturying  people  alive .    .        ...  3i 

Ancient  mode  I'f  removing  the  dead,  crying,  etc 39 

The  suspicions  conduct  of  a  chief. 40 

Keturn  of  chief  "  Townissim  "  from  prison 42 

Klessing  of  church. — Making  a  canoe  ....                 42 

Salmon  season  and  superstitions  about  salmon ...  43 

A  ghost  story  and  reiiults  of  trip  t<i  his  alH>de 43 

More  trouble  about  r he  salmon  and  successful  fishing 45 

Trip  to  lliirclay  Sdund.  —  l-'ear  of  reporters 47 

The  superstitious  practice  "  osemitch,"  with  interesting  details. ---ICclipse. — Dreams     .    .  47 

Death  (if '■  Nitaska  "  and  intrigues  of  "  niedicine  women  " 49 

Death  attributed  to  liiiw  ling  of  dog SO 

Chief  '■  lownissim's     life   in  diinger 5' 

Kyuijuot  Indians  on  war  path 51 

."^tringe  feelings  of   Indians  "  tempore  "  famine 51 

New  mission  built  at  "  \amucamis,"  Barclay  Sound 52 

Kxtraordinary  powers  claimed  by  a  juggler 55 

\  pagan  marriage,  cerenmnies.  feasts 55 

Thunder  and   lightning ...         ...             ,  5tj 

Dilficuhies  anenl  birth  of  first  Christian  child 00 

The  Sorcerer  ( medicine  man  or  woman) (n 

A  new  Sorcerer  initiated (\\ 

Trouble  about   keeping  Sunday 64 

Trip  to  Virtoria,  with  interesting  details. — Narrow  escape  from  drowning (14 

Sacred  blanket 06 

The  festival    "  I'lokwahna  "  wolf  feast      ...                 67 

Church  built  in  Ahonsat 6,S 

.\n  old  Indian  house.  -.\  case  of  twins. — .V  cra/y  man  successfully  treated 69 

An  Indian  Christian  marriage 69 

( >rder  issued  to  wear  pants. — Seal  hunting. — Rules  observed 70 

Sea-otter  hunting 71 

Wreck  of  bark  Mnllfvilli\  burial  of  dead 72 


Death  of  "  Wewiks. 


.\    bad  case 76 


Contirmation  administered  by  .\rchbi.shop  Seghers 77 

tness  and 


death  of  Indian   children 7S 


Sickii 

Murder  committed  by  "  rsinii|\mh 


79 


PAOB 

Narrow  escape  of  »cbooner  Favorite,  Capt.  McLean to 

Towniuim  dies.— Church  built  at  Nootica      '. 83 

Chief  Antonin  dies  a  Christian. — His  house  burned 84 

A  whiskey  case       84 

Odd  conduct  of  young,  dying  men 84 

Intrusion  of  Protestant  preachers.        85 

Attempt  to  build  an  industrial  school  frustrated 86 

An  unsuccessful  physician. — Death  of  good  woman 86 

Orders  to  build  an  industrial  school  for  Indian  children 87 

Conclusion 88 


VANCOUVER  ISLAND  AND  ITS  MISSIONS. 

i(S74-i9oo. 

REMINISCENCES  OF  THE  REV.  A.  J.  BRABANT. 


Illustiattd  a'ith   Photographs  taken  h\  the  Author. 


The  Fill. I)  oi    I,ai!()k. 

ON  the  west  coast  of  N'ancouvcr 
Island,  betwcfii  the  entrance  of 
the  Strait  of  San  Juan  de  Fuco  and 
Cape  Cook,  there  Uve  eighteen  differ- 
ent tribes  of  Indians,  forming,  as  it  were, 
only  one  nation,  as  they  all  speak  the 
same  language.  Their  manners,  mode 
of  living,  in  one  word,  all  their  habits 
are  so  much  alike,  that  to  know  one 
tribe  is  to  know  them  all.  This  coast, 
at  the  time  of  our  taking  possession  of 
it,  was  exclusively  inhabited  by   Indians. 

Four  trading  posts  had,  however, 
been  established  and  were  eai  h  in 
charge  of  one  white  man.  Hut  l>esides 
these  four  men  there  are  absolutely  no 
white  settlers  to  be  found  on  this  exten- 
sive coast  of  nearly  two  hundred    miles. 

1  need  hardly  say  that  communication 
was  very  rare,  for  beyond  a  couijle  of 
small  schooners,  that  made  an  occ  asional 
call  on  the  coast  for  the  purpose  of  su])- 
plying  the  stores  with  goods  and  pro- 
visions, and  at  the  same  time  making  a 
trading  call  at  different  tribes,  no  vessels 
freijuented    this    part  of  the  world.     I 

Copyrighted,  1900.  hy  Apcistlksiiii' ut    Pkavkr. 


have  been  as  much  as  six  months  with- 
out seeing  the  face  of  a  white  man,  and 
consequently  speaking  a  » ivilized  lan- 
guage. 

When  the  news  of  the  death  of  Pius 
IX.  reached  me,  I,eo  XIII.  was  already 
two  months  on  the  Papal  throne.  .\s 
a  matter  of  fact,  it  was  close  on  five 
months  sin<  e  I  had  received  a  news- 
])ai)er,  a  letter,  or  a  word  of  news  of  the 
civili/ed  world. 

All  the  Indians  of  this  mission  live  on 
the  sea  ( oast,  and  intercourse  between 
the  different  tribes  is  impossible,  except 
by  means  ol Canoes.  No  two  tribes  can 
visit  each  other.  ex(  ept  on  foot  or  horse- 
back, as  their  several  residences  are 
separated  by  inlets  and  arms  of  the 
ocean.  As  a  rule  the  nuini)er  of  chances 
for  visiting  are  limited,  especially  dur- 
ing the  fall  and  winter  season,  for  no 
<  anoe  could  live  iu  the  incessant,  heavy 
weather  and  indescribable  gales  which 
rage  on  this  open  coast.  When  travelling 
I  have  been  many  a  time  compelled  to 
camp  and  wait  for  days  before  being  able 
to  continue  my  journey,  owing  to  the 
dangerous    seas  and    heavy  surf    which 


V^incoiiver  Islaml  and  Its  Missions. 


would  spring  tij)  without  even  an    hour's 
not!)  e. 

I'he  coast  is  rugged  and  rocky,  pre- 
senting in  its  entire  extent  the  ap- 
pearance of  desolation  and  barrenness. 
The  hills  and  mountains  run  down  to 
the  l)ea<  h  ;  the  valleys  are  lakes,  and 
a  few  pat'  hes  of  low  land,  to  he  encoun- 
tered here  and  there,  are  covered  with 
worthless  tiuiher.  No  clear  land  is  to 
be  seen  anywhere,  and  no  hopes  ran  he 
entertained  that  the  west  coast  ol  \an- 
couver  Island  will  ever  he  available  tor 
agri<  iiltural  settlements. 

The  climate  is  not  very  different  from 
that  of  N'ictoria.  'Ihe  seasons  of  rain 
and  hne  weather  are  about  eipially 
divided  :  the  frost  is  not  heavy,  and  snow 
seldom  falls  to  any  depth,  and  then  lies 
on  the  ground  only  for  a  few  days. 
With  all  this,  the  fall  and  winter  months 
are  dreary  beyond  expression.  The  In- 
dians seem  not  to  notice  the  general  de- 
pression of  the  seasons,  but  for  one  born 
and  raised  elsewhere,  accustomed  to  the 
society  of  his  fellow  white  men,  there  are 
no  words  to  (  onvey  how  monotonous  it 
is.  and  how  lonesome  one  would  feel 
were  it  not  for  the  thought  of  the  sacred- 
iiess  of  the  object  lor  which  he  is 
here. 

Nothing  in  the  world  could  tempt  me  to 
come  and  sjjcnd  my  life  here  were  it  not 
that  the  inhabitants  of  these  inhospitable 
shores  have  a  i  laim  on  the  charily  and 
zeal  of  a  Catholic  i)riest. 

The  <iuestion  has  often  been  asked  ; 
Was  there  ever  a  Catholic  jiriest  or  were 
there  Catholic  missions  established  on 
the  west  coast  before  the  existenc  e  of  the 
present  establishments  ? 

My  answer,  which  is  in  the  affirmative, 
was  not  sought  or  t'ound  in  books  or 
records,  but  I  got  it  from  the  Indians 
themselves.  My  first  informant  was  an 
elderly  man,  not  a  chief,  but  one  of  those 
men  of  importance  to  be  found  in  every 
tribe,  whose  chief  pride  seems  to  consist 
in  watching  all  the  important  events  of 
the  day  and  in  assisting  the  chiefs  with 
their  counsel  and  judgment. 


I  found  njy  informant  ('I'ragsota)  on 
an  early  summer  morning  sitting  outside 
of  his  house  in  close  conversation  with 
his  wife.  As  I  passed  by  he  hailed  i>e 
and  our  conversation  i  omnienced. 

"  \\'a>  there  ever  a  priestin  Nootka?  " 
"  oh  yes,"  he  said,  "  at  the  time  of 
the  Spaniards  there  were  two  priests, 
big  stout  men,  and  they  both  were  bald- 
headed.  My  grand-u''(le,  who  told  me 
this,  used  to  <  ome  round  to  Iriendly 
Cove,  and  the  white  men  would  keep 
Sunday.  I'here  was  the  Sundiy  house'' 
— l)ointing  to  a  spot  about  the  <  entre  of 
the  present  village-  "and  they  would  go 
on  their  knees  and  ( ross  themselves,  and 
at  the  turn  of  the  winter  solstice  they  had 
a  great  Sunday  and  they  had  two  iiabies 

—  is  not  that  what  you  now  call  Christ- 
mas? Oh  yes.  there  were  jiriests  here, 
and  all  the  men  and  women  would  have 
to  bathe  on  Saturday  and  be  ready  fcjr 
Sunday,  and  they  learned  songs — hvmns 

—  I  know  them  yet." 

.And  the  old  man  began  to  sing,  but  the 
only  words  I  could  (  at(  h  were  :  .U/-/)/os. 

It  is  evident  from  the  above  narrative 
that  at  the  time  of  the  occui)ation  of 
Nootka  by  the  Spaniards,  towards  the 
end  of  last  century,  the  missionaries  of 
South  America  belonginj;  to  the  I'ran- 
ciscm  order,  hence  described  by  the 
Indian  as  being  bald,  evidently  on  ac- 
count of  the  tonsure,  and  as  stout,  big 
men  because  they  appeared  such  in  their 
heavv  l-'ranciscan  cloaks,  were  stationed 
at  Nootka  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
Europeans  and  also  to  a  certain  extent 
f(jr  the  c  onversion  of  the  natives. 

The  old  man  had  much  more  to  say 
about  the  presence  of  the  Spaniards  in 
Nootka.  One  of  the  men  was  in  charge 
of  the  cattle,  which  he  would  bring 
home  every  day  ;  which,  of  course, 
argues  the  presence  of  those  useful 
domestic  animals  on  this  coast  before 
there  were  any  in  other  parts  of  the 
island.  He  also  showed  us  the  spot 
where  the  blacksmiths  and  carpenters  had 
their  shops,  and  gave  many  other  details, 
which  proves  that   events  of  importance 


\'anc(»iivt'r    Islariil  ami    Its   Missions. 


arc  not  -.o^ooii  lorgottcii  by  Indians,  in 
general,  as  white  men  nna(<|iiaintcd  with 
thrni  woulil  imagine. 

I  havr  not  notic  od  .my  tracts  of  rr- 
lij;ions  prat  ti(  cs  inaugurated  \>y  Calli- 
olicSp.miards.  However,  it  has  strm  k 
me  as  |irol)al>le  that  the  ),'reat  devotion  of 
tlie  Spaniards  to  the  ISlessed  Virgin  .Mary 
and  especially  that  of  Catholic  sailors, 
may  have  been  thesoun  eof  an  invocation 
freipuntlv  tittered  by  Indians  during  bad 
weather  or  in  danger  at  se.i.  M;iny  a 
time  1  have  heard  them  sing  out  in  ipiii  k 
siKtession:  '•  Chouchist  Nakowm," 
"  (  hou  t  hist  Na- 
kowm," ••(^)ueen. 
let  the  sea  be 
i|  111  e  t  "  (  bis  ). 
And  many  a  time 
I  have  h  e  a  r  d 
them  speak  of  a 
'•  (|  n  *  e  n  "  un- 
known to  them, 
liut  living  in  or 
beyond  the  seas. 

I  h  a  v  e  also 
been  inclined  to 
believe  tliat  the 
practice  of  keej)- 
ing  C'hrislmasand 
having  the  Christ- 
mas liolidays  may 
account  for  the 
Indians'  yet  hav- 
ing recourse  at 
that  si)e<  iat  lime 
to  their  devotion- 
al practices.  It  used  to  be  of  the  great- 
est inii)ort.inie  to  watch  and  observt-  tlie 
solsti(  eof  the  sun  about  ('hri>tmas  time. 
The  old  men  of  the  tribe  would  rise  early 
on  those  days  and  in  bunt  hes  would  retire 
to  different  s]pots.  Ilach  one  had  his  mark 
or  signs— there  he  would  sit,  all  attention, 
and  soon  as  the  sun  rose  out  of  the  sea 
he  would  take  his  bearings  and  accord- 
ing to  the  (act  that  the  sun  rose  at  or  be- 
yond such  a  (  ertain  mark  he  woukl  (on- 
clude  that  tiie  sun  was  at  its  solstice,  not 
yet  at  it,  or  ])erha])s  beyond  it. 

The  event  caused  an   amount    of  gen- 


er.il  interest,  it  was  the  l.dk  at  neals  and 
the  great  topic  of  conversation  with  the 
Indians  of  every  tribe.  .\c<ording  to 
the  old  nten  the  want  of  attention. or  the 
iieglet  t  of  watching  this  ull'ini|>ortant 
event,  would  be  followed  by  all  kinds  of 
misfortunes,  not  e.\eluding  famine.  The 
.irrival  of  this  period  was  the  signal  for 
the  preaching  of  the  old  people  [to  their 
young  men  to  go  out  and  practice  their 
sujierstitious  devotions. 

I'eyond  these  indifferent  signs  of  re- 
ligious practices  which  may  have  had 
their  origin  at  the  time  ot  the   settlement 

by  the  S|)aniards 
at  .N'ootka.  I  have 
never  b'-en  able 
to  detect .  vthing 
but  that  tiie  In- 
dians at  the  time 
o^  ,.'  arrival  here 
were  addi>  ted  al- 
most beyoiid  re- 
demption to  every 
de  .( rijiiion  of  pa- 
gan pr.ictices. 

MiSSInNS 
I'l^lAllllslll  II. 
\  I  s  ri-  I  (>  1  H  K 
W  Ksl  (  (i.\>r  IN- 
hlANs  IN  1874 
IIV  KKilll  KKV. 
(  IIAKI  Is  I.   sr.C- 

iir.Ks.  1'.  h.,   \(  - 

<  oMI'ANll  1>  nv 
KKV.  A  I.  IIKA- 
r.AN  I. 

We  lelt  \i(  toria  on  \\  hit  Sunday  at  S 
c.  clo<  k  in  the  morning  on  the  s(  hooner 
Siir/^i IS,-,  twenty-eigiit  tons,  belonging  to 
('apt.  W.  Spring  \  Co. 

('apt.  I'eter  KiaiK  is  was  in  connnand. 
John  Peterson,  a  Swede,  was  mate,  and 
the  rest  of  the  crew  was  a  Kyui|uot 
Indian  called  Nomucos,  acting  as  (  ook, 
sailor  and  boatswain,  and  ('hegchiei)e,  a 
.Mowiichat  savage,  assistant  sailor.  Mr. 
John  M(  Dowell  was  a  passenger,  and  was 
on  his  way  to  fix  the  machinery  of  the 
light-house  just  then  established  on  Ca[)e 
IJeale,  Barclay  Sound. 


HkAl;AV  I  . 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


We  left  Victoria  harl)or  witii  a  strong 
southeasterly  wind,  and  were  at  Rate 
Rocks  before  lo  o'(  lock  a.m.  Here  the 
wind  failed  and  our  schooner  began  to 
drift  about,  and  working  with  the  oars 
was  required  to  keep  her  off  the  Rocks. 
However,  we  got  safely  at  anchor  about 
2  o'clock  in  Reeche  Hay,  where  we  went 
on  shore  and  visited  the  Indians,  from 
whom  we  received  a  good  reception. 
.After  an  address,  made  by  His  Lordship. 
I  baptized  two  of  their  infant  children. 
.\]»ril  13. — Next  morning  we  weighed 
anchor.  Sailed  out  a  short  distance, 
but  the  wind  failing  us  again,  we  managed 
to  return  to  our  anchorage  to  make  a 
new  start  about  8  a.  m.  Once  more  the 
breeze  dropped,  and  by  this  time  we  be- 
gan to  drift  with  the  tide  till  we  got  half 
way  between  Race  Roi  ks  and  Port  .\n- 
gelos.  Our  captain  was  now  so  badly 
intoxicated  that  upon  His  Lordship's,  with 
a  view  to  trying  the  old  man,  asking  him 
the  direction  of  Cape  Flattery,  he  pointed 
to  us  the  0])ening  l)etween  San  Juan 
Island  and  Trial  Island.  2  v.  m.,  south- 
erly wind;  lost  sight  of  X'ictoria  :it  3.30 
r.    M. 

.\]m\  14. — Rain;  no  wind;  7.30  a.m., 
southwest  by  south.  Enter  San  juan 
harbor  at  3.30  i'.  m.  and  cast  anchor 
outside  of  the  reef  at  3.30. 

The  schooner  Favorite,  Captain  Mc- 
Kay, and  the  schooner  A/e/f,  Captain  j. 
Christianson,  were  here  at  anchor,  and 
were  making  preparations  to  go  out  seal- 
ing next  morning  with  a  crew  of  Xitinat 
and  Pachena  Indians. 

\\m\  15. — We  went  on  shore  about 
7  A.  M.  The  Indians  were  sitting  out- 
side. They  were  startleil  to  see  us  in 
our  cassocks,  to  them  an  unusual  kind  of 
garment.  The  IJishop  asked  to  see  their 
chief  and  was  soon  shown  into  the  pres- 
ence of  a  fine  looking  man — Kiristog — 
who,  as  we  noticed  at  once,  was  then 
leading  the  life  of  a  bigamist.  His  Lord- 
ship asked  the  chief's  consent  to  assem- 
ble the  natives  of  that  locality  and  he  at 
once  consented.  Here  1  was  suddenly 
com])elled    to  make  room    for   a    blind 


horse,  which  was  led  into  the  house  by  a 
young  Indian  and  was  then,  as  we  no- 
ticed, stabled  in  the  chief's  house. 

The  Indian,-:  withal  behaved  very  well 
and,  upon  allowing  us  to  l)aptize  their 
chiUlren,  requested  as  a  favor  that  we 
continue  to  look  after  them.  The  num- 
ber of  baptisms  was  forty-three. 

The  captains  of  the  sealing  vessels 
were  most  impatient  to  take  the  Indians 
out,  but  they  were  told  that  if  the  priests 
wanted  the  Indians  to  stay  on  shore 
three  days  they  should  have  the  privi- 
lege ;  which  new-  was  to  them  a  caution 
to  keep  their  temper.  Howover,  we 
left  the  Indians  at  2  i'.  m.;  we  went  on 
board  of  the  Sn/frisc ;  they  in  their 
turn  went  on  board  of  their  respective 
vessels. 

The  wind  was  blowing  from  the  west 
and  blew  up  into  San  Juan  harbor.  The 
vessels  weighed  their  anchors  about  the 
same  time,  had  up  sails  and  were  ready 
for  a  start  in  unusually  ipiick  time.  And 
now  the  race  began.  ()ur  skip])er  was 
about  sober  and  did  his  best  to  win.  but 
the  Favorite  got  ahead  of  him  and  be- 
fore long  the  Alert  went  first  and  ke])t 
ahead  of  her  frienils.  The  race  was  fiiirlv 
conducted  and  was  a  very  pleasant 
episode  of  our  western  tri]). 

.\l)ril  16. — Xowind.  Caught  a  breeze 
at  12  o'clock.  I!ntered  Dodger  Cove 
at  I  I'.  M.  The  chief  was  living 
alone  on  Mission  Island  (Diana).  Two 
canoes  full  of  Indians  came  over  from 
Keehan,  but  were  told  to  go  back  till 
next  morning,  which  they  did  with  con- 
siderable reluctance.  The  Indians 
lookeil  well,  a  line,  healthy  set.  They 
wore  blankets,  no  pants  ;  had  their  . 
hair  nicely  done  up  and  tied  with 
grass  in  a  bunch  over  the  forehead. 
.Most  of  them  had  their  faces  painted, 
and  the  crowd  that  came  on  the  schooner 
presented  a  very  ])!( turestpie  sight. 

April  17. — Said  Mass   in  the  house  of 
Mr.  Andrew  l.any,  the  storekeeper,  at  5 
A.  \i.       The  chief  was  already  there  ad 
dressing  his  Indians  from  the  other  side 
of  the  stream,   exhorting    them  to   rise. 


X'ancouver   Island  and    Its    Missions. 


wash  ;ind  clean  themselves  and  children, 
announcing  to  them  our  wish  to  see  them 
and  telling  them  that  great  things  were 
in  store  for  them. 

The  Indians  arrived  from  Keehan  and 
other  camping  places  and  assembled  at 
8  o'clock  in  the  house  of  an  Indian 
called  ''Jenkins,"  the  chief  having  no 
house  large  enough  at  this  place  to  con- 
tain all  his  people.  The  savages  paid 
great  attention  to  the  !'.ishop's  instruc- 
tion given  in  Chinook  and  interpreted 
into  the  Indian  language  by  "Harry" 
and  his  brother  ' '  J  enkins. ' ' 


kose,  \'iilage  Island,  Barclay  Sound, 
where  we  passed  a  very  comfortable 
night  in  smooth  water. 

April  iS.— Up  and  away  at  5  .\.  m. 
Rain,  heavy  sea.  We  arrived  at  9  a.  m. 
at  Icluliat,  where  the  Indians  were 
expecting  us.  The  chief  came  at  once 
for  us  in  his  canoe  and  upon  Hearing  the 
camp  one  of  the  Indians  fired  off  his 
gun  to  announce  to  the  Indians  that  we 
were  on  board  ;  whereupon  all  the  tribe 
turned  out  at  once  and  assembled  in  the 
new,  unfinished  house  of  young  'With 
Koutl,"     the     chief    of   the     Icluliats. 


>\  111  KK--    ANli    SAII  UK-- 


In  this  and  in  every  tribe  on  the 
coast  instruction  was  begun  by  stating 
who  we  were,  what  was  our  object  ;  tlien 
followed  a  history  of  the  creation,  the  lall 
of  man,  the  deluge,  the  multiplication  of 
languages,  the  redemption  of  mankind  : 
after  which,  if  agreeable  to  the  nati\i.s, 
baptism  was  administered  to  their  little 
children.  And,  if  time  was  left,  a  few 
hymns  and  songs  were  taught.  I>iit  in 
all  cases  the  teaching  of  the  Sign  of  the 
Cross  and  the  making  of  that  sign  by  the 
Indians  was  the  great  thing  and  caused 
real  e.xcitement.  We  had  in  this  camp 
eighty  baptisms  of  young  children. 

We  left  at  6  o'clock  in  the  evening 
and  went    ;o  our   anchor  at   Clarkkoui- 


11.    M.    >.     l;i'\lU.        N<"i|K\    IM'IWS. 

<  >ur  arriv.il  caused  a  deal  of  excitement. 
( )ur  interpreter  had  a  thundering  voice, 
but  we  were  told  he  did  not  translate 
llis  Lordship's  words  with  much  correct- 
ness. Perhaps  he  thought  that  shout- 
ing would  have  the  necessary  effect.  I 
baptized  seventy-five  children  in  the 
afternoon. 

.\pril  19. — Sunday  morning:  Mass 
at5.,v>in  the  storekee])er's  house  and 
then  at  S  .\.  m  off  to  the  ranch.  The 
Cl.iyociuot  Indians  <ame  over  to  join  the 
Uduliats  and  their  nine  children  re- 
ceived baptism.  Here  the  first  effort 
was  made  to  translate  the  sign  of  the 
Cross  into  the  Indian  language. 

April  :;o. — At  sunrise  we  were  already 


■ISHaiil 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


at  sea  and  beating  against  a  strong  west- 
erly wind,  but  we  did  not  reach  Clayoquot 
till  April  21,  at  9  a.  m.  Sitakenin  and 
half  a  dozen  of  his  Indiars  came  out  to 
meet  us  at  sea.  We  went  on  board  of 
his  canoe  and  he  took  us  to  the  chief's 
house,  where  two  new  Indian  mats  were 
laid  on  the  floor,  forming  a  jjath  to  the 
end  of  the  lodge,  where  boxes  and  trunks 
covered  with  fine  mats  were  prepared  to 
be  used  by  us  as  seats  and  footstools. 
His  Lordship  addressed  the  Indians  on 
the  usual  topics,  then  I  baptized  ninety- 
three  children,  after  which  we  went  to 
our  schooner  which  was  at  anchor  off 
Captain  Stubb's  Island,  Warren's  store 
(Chut-chut  tuts). 

April  22. — We  went  early  in  the 
morning  to  the  camp  (  Echo-chist),  Vil- 
lage island,  where  we  had  met  the  In- 
dians the  day  before.  Strange  to  say, 
the  Indians  seemed  (piite  indifferent  and 
His  Lordship  concluded  to  leave  them, 
not,  however,  before  giving  them  a  good 
scolding.  Then  we  went  to  the  schooner 
about  noon  and  preparations  were  at 
once  made  to  continue  our  voyage.  Af- 
ter sailing  a  short  distance  we  got  on  the 
sand  bank  off  "Opessat,"  but  as  the 
tide  was  rising,  we  got  off  about  1.30 
I*.  M.  Then  with  a  light  breeze  we  took 
the  direction  of  "  Ahousat, "  but  about 
3  I'.  M.  we  saw  a  canoe  in  the  distance. 
The  Clayocjuot  chief  and  six  young  men  I 
They  wanted  us  to  return.  The  Hishop 
at  first  refused,  but  their  reijuest  was  so 
earnest  and  their  promise  of  taking  us 
to  Ahousat  the  next  day  so  favorable, 
that  His  Lordship  at  last  concluded  to 
return.  The  Indians  who  came  to  fetch 
us  had  only  just  then  arrived  in  the 
schooner  from  I'cluliat,  where  the\  had 
seen  us  for  a  few  minutes  two  tlays 
previously.  They  had  tried  to  meet  us 
at  their  own  home,  but  were  doubly  dis- 
appointed to  fmd  us  jione  and  to  hear 
that  their  friends  had  not  shown  more 
zeal  and  had  failed  to  learn  the  canticles 
and  songs  now  repeated  by  every  tribe 
which  we  had  visited. 

.\t  6  1".  M.  we  were  at  work  again  at 


"  Lcho-chist, "  and  we  were  happy  that  at 
10.30  p.  M.  the  Indians  at  last  allowed  us 
to  lie  down  and  take  some  rest.  This  was 
my  first  night  in  an  Indian  camp  ;  and  in 
the  morning  my  memory  was  clear  on  all 
the  events  of  that  night.  I  had  heard  the 
crying  of  Indian  <hildren,  and  the  <  oax- 
ing  and  singing  of  their  mothers  to  get 
them  to  sleep  again.  .\n  old  couple  had 
a  row  in  the  middle  of  the  ni^hl  :  over 
a  do/en  big  dogs,  supposed  to  sleep, 
were  constantly  awake,  growled,  b.irked, 
fought,  yelled,  ran  in  and  out  of  the 
dwelling,  got  in  trouljle  with  the  cats, 
and  would  not  stop  their  uproar,  except 
after  twenty  times  "Sieka,"  uttered  by 
a  sleepless  savage,  followed  by  a  piece  of 
fire-wood,  again  accompanied  by  a  new 
yelling  and  barking.  Over  half  a  dozen 
roosters  were  sleeping  on  the  loft  cross- 
piece  of  the  house,  and,  with  their  usual 
pride,  as  if  they  were  making  daylii;ht 
come  and  the  sun  rise,  would  stop  their 
crowing  chorus,  only  to  recommence 
again  a  few  minutes  later.  .\11  this  time 
the  Bishop  thought  I  was  fast  asleep 
alongside  of  him  under  one  blanket,  but 
I  knew  that  he  was  not,  for  he  was  <  on- 
tinually  turning  about.  Now  and  then 
he  would  give  a  ([uick  but  well  deter- 
mined scratch  on  his  lower  limbs,  and  in 
the  morning  he  told  me  that  all  the  cause 
of  his  troubles  had  been  the  Indian's 
friends  the  "  t1eas." 

April  23. — At  5.30  our  Indian  crew 
was  ready  ;  six  stalwart  young  men, 
headed  by  the  chief  of  the  tribe.  It  was 
a  beautiful  morning,  the  sun  rising  in  all 
his  glory.  The  Indians  struck  uj)  our 
songs  and  paddled  with  courage  and  hap- 
])iness  over  the  calm  waters  of  Clayociuot 
Sound. 

At  1  o'clock  we  arrived  at  the  foot  of 
the  Catface  mountains.  Here  was  the 
.\housat  tribe,  in  expectation  of  our 
coming,  increased  by  the  arrival  of  all  the 
Keltsemats,  ready  and  prepared  to  receive 
us.  Four  Indians  stood  on  the  beach, 
and  were  a  deputation  sent  by  the  Indi- 
ans, wiio  were  already  in  the  chiefs 
house,  to  show  us  into  the  lodge.      Mats 


\'ancouv(tr    Island   and    Its    Missions. 


formed  a  pathway 
from  the  water  to 
the  camp,  and, in- 
side, mats  and 
sails  were  hang- 
ing about  along 
the  walls,  whilst 
the  floor  was  cov- 
ered with  more 
mats  ;  and  a  reg- 
ular throne  was 
formed,  with  box- 
es and  trunks, 
nicely  covered 
over  ;  and  to  this 
jjlace  we  were 
shown  by  the 
members    of   the 

deputation.  A  dead  silence  reigned  in 
the  house,  but  we  could  well  notice 
that  we  were  in  the  presence  of  real 
savages.  We  were  astonished  that  no 
dogs. such  a  nuisance  about  Indian  camps, 
were  to  be  notic  ed,  but  we  were  next  in- 
formed that  already  the  day  previous, 
and  early  in  the  morning,  canoe  loads  of 
the  canine  soecies  had  been  taken  across 
the  sound  and  safely  landed  on  the 
islands  opposite,  lest  they  should  be  a 
cause  of  displeasure  to  us. 

After  the  usual  instructions,  I  admin- 
istered baptism  to  one  hundred  and 
thirty-five  little  children. 

The  afternoon  was  spent  in  teaching 
songs  and  the  Sign  of  the  Cross.  Such 
was  the  zeal  of  these  Indians  that,  when 
we  went  on  board  of  the  schooner  to 
take  our  meals,  they  would  stay  in  the 
bouse,  and  hardly  leave  us  time  to  finish, 
but  wanted  us  to  rec  ommence  our  work 
at  once. 

In  the  evening  we  were  reipiested  to 
listen  to  what  they  had  to  say  to  us.  The 
speeches  began  by  those  of  the  two  head 
chiefs,  followed  by  other  chiefs,  chiefly 
women  ;  and  one  fellow  got  up,  took  his 
lilanket,hisonly  covering,from  his  shoul- 
ders, and  after  showing  it  to  us,  he  threw 
it  with  an  emphatic  gesture  far  away  from 
him.  siyingthat  "  he  threw  away  his  bad 
heart. ' '     Nothing  could  stop  the  speech- 


Wm'^ 

f 

-.    ---?p->''^* 

fmmm 

INUI.VNS  SI.Ar(.ll  lEKIM.   A  \VII,lii>.\  (iN  SI.VSIlDKl:. 

making  till  His  Lordship  stepped  forward 
on  the  very  spot  where  every  speaker  had 
come  to  address  us,  and  thus  blocked  the 
way,  saying  that  he  knew  by  what  he  had 
heard  the  tom-tom  of  the  whole  tribe. 
We  left  the  .\housats  .\pril  24,  at  4.30 
A.  .M.  .\  good  easterly  wind  was  blow- 
ing, and  the  captain  concluded  to  run 
for  Kyuquot  and  call  at  the  other  tribes 
on  our  way  back  So  we  did,  and  ar- 
rived at  the  Kyu(]uot  camp  shortly  after 

Here  not  an  Indian  could  be  seen  on 
the  bay,  nor,  in  fact,  outside  of  the 
camp.  It  was  pronounced  an  unusual 
thing,  as  the  captain  stated  that  the^e 
Indians  used  to  meet  him  out  at  sea  and 
literally  crowd  the  deck  of  his  schooner 
on  any  other  occasion.  Nomucos,  our 
Kyuipiot  cook,  was  also  at  a  loss  to  e.\- 
plain.  and  his  shouting  and  calling  for 
the  Indians  had  no  effect.  However, 
at  la>t  a  small  canoe  was  launched  at 
"  .Aklie>, "  two  Indians  got  into  her  and 
paddh'd  quickly  towards  the  spot  where 
we  were  at  anchor.  I!very  little  while 
they  would  stop  and  listen  to  the  shout- 
ing of  our  Indians.  "  We  are  afraid," 
was  the  first  sentence  we  could  hear 
them  utter.  ( )ur  savage  ■  reassured  them 
and  when  at  last  they  got  on  board  they 
explained  the  whole  mystery.  They 
had  heard  of  our  arrival,   but  the   story 


a"T — ii^r. 


8 


X'ancouvcr  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


got  mixed  up.  On  board  the  schooner 
was  a  Hving  man  who  would  cut  the 
children  on  the  chest,  and  another  who 
would  rub  something  over  the  wound 
and  it  would  be  healed.  Then  the  first 
man  would  begin  killing  the  Indians,  and 
upon  the  Indians'  trying  to  kill  him,  he 
would  turn  into  a  stone  or  become  a 
stone  man.  This  and  other  tales  were 
told  ;is  an  explanation  of  the  conduct  of 
the  Kyuipiots  on  this  occasion.  The 
Kyutjuots  are  the  largest  tribe  on  the 
coast,  in  all  about  eight  hundred  In- 
dians. 

April  26. — IJaptizcd  one  hundred  and 
seventy-seven  children.  1  commenced 
at  9  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  it  was  5 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when  I  got 
through. 

April  27. — Frightful  storm  at  sea — 
could  not  go  on  shore  all  day. 

April  2  <S. — Began  to  teach  the  "Our 
Father"  and  "  Hail  Mary"  which  the 
Hishop  had  translated,  with  the  assist- 
an(  e  of  Capt.  I'.  Francis,  of  the  S//r- 
/<n'sr,  and  an  Indian  interi)reter. 

At  I  I'.  M.  we  were  taken  from  the 
Si/ /f rise  in  an  Indian  canoe,  as  we 
had  made  arrangements  to  go  with  some 
Kyuquot  Indians  and  visit  the  Chicklisat 
tribe. 

The  chief,  a  cripple,  seemed  to  have 
great  authority,  but,  being  himself  unable 
to  go  with  us,  sent  his  son  with  fifteen 
young  men  to  take  us  to  our  destination. 
No  sooner  had  we  ste|)ped  into  our 
canoe  than  two  more  canoes  were  put 
afloat,  manned,  the  first  by  fifteen  young 
men,  the  subjects  of  the  iiiieen,  and  the 
other  by  twelve  savages  belonging  to  the 
other  head  chiefs.  .And  thus  we  left 
Kyuquot  in  the  young  chief's  canoe,  on 
either  side  of  which  a  canoe  of  the  other 
chiefs  was  paddled  to  the  air  of  one  of 
the  hymns  they  had  recently  learned. 

The  sea  was  very  rougli,  but  after 
three  hours  of  hard  working  by  the  In- 
dians we  at  last  saw  the  smoke  of  the 
Chicklisat  camp  at  I'.iko-os.  As  we 
approached,  our  Indians  drew  together 
and    once    more    intoned    some  of  our 


Catholic  hymns.  The  Chicklisats  came 
rushing  out  of  their  houses,  and  seemed 
stupefied,  but  did  not  come  down  to  the 
beach  till  they  were  called  ujion  to  do  so. 
It  took  them  a  long  time  to  assemble  in 
the  chiefs  house,  and  when  addressed 
by  His  Lordship,  although  seemingly 
attentive,  it  was  ([uite  evident  that  every- 
thing was  not  "all  right."  The  eve- 
ning and  darkness  soon  put  a  stop  to  our 
work,  then  we  began  to  look  for  room  to 
sleej).  It  was  simply  horrible  I  The 
filth,  dirt  and  uncleanness  of  these  In- 
dians both  in  the  house  and  outside  can- 
not be  imagined.  However,  we  sub- 
mitted to  circumstances,  such  as  they 
were,  and  lay  down  alongside  ot  each 
other,  impatiently  awaiting  the  return  of 
daylight.  It  arrived  at  last,  and  I  was 
amused  when  asked  by  His  Lordship  to 
express  my  opinion  of  the  beauty  of  the 
words  and  music  of  a  song  whi(  h  he  had 
composed  during  the  night.  It  struck 
me  that,  unaiile  to  sleep,  he  must  have 
tried  to  while  away  the  long  hours  of  a 
sleepless  night  in  a  musical  way.  The 
Kyucpiots,  forty  three  in  number,  who 
had  constituted  our  escort,  having  no- 
ticed that  there  was  something  wrong  in 
the  recepticm  extended  to  us  by  the 
Chicklisats,  had  made  it  a  point  of  duty 
to  sleep  in  the  same  house  where  we 
were  sleeping,  and  in  the  morning  we 
found  them  all  lying  around  and  about 
us. 

A])ril  29  — I'.arly  in  the  morning  we 
assembled  the  Indians  and  began  anew 
to  instruct  them.  We  baptized  forty- 
six  children,  and  when  this  was  done, 
our  Kyuquot  interpreter  refused  to  inler- 
])ret,  and  gave  lor  his  reason  that  the 
Chicklisats  were  mocking  and  insulting 
him.  We  would  have  left  at  once,  but 
the  sea  was  bad  and  the  rain  fell  in  tor- 
rents, being  compelled  to  stay,  we  be- 
gan the  recitation  of  our  office  and  then 
went  outside  in  the  bush  under  the  Nhel- 
ter  of  a  large  tree.  Here,  after  some  time, 
an  Indian  found  us  enjoying  the  fresh 
air  and  summoned  us  to  go  back  to  the 
camp.   We  pretended  not  to  understand, 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


but  iit  liist  His  Lordship  concluded 
to  follow  the  savage  and  so  we  re- 
entered the  chiefs  lodge.  It  was  cjuite 
a  sight.  To  the  western  side  of  the 
camp  sat  the  chief  in  a  very  promi- 
nent ]jla(  e,  and  on  each  side  sat  an 
elderly  man  holding  in  his  hand  a  long 
rod,  which  seemed  to  us  to  be  a  mark 
of  authority.  I'-verything  wasstill,  the 
men  on  our  side,  the  women  and 
children  on  the  other.  A  seat  was 
shown  and  given  to  us  on  the  right 
side  of  the  chief,  where  we  were  re- 
quested to  continue  our  instructions. 
I'.ut  none  of  the  young  men  could  in- 
terpret and  not  one  ot  our  Kyiupiots 
was  about,  nor,  in  fat  t,  could  be 
gotten.  This  seemed  very  strange, 
but  the  following  explanation  was  aft- 
erward given  :  I'or  years  the  Chickli- 
sats  and  the  Kyuquots  had  been  at 
war  or  giving  annoyance  to  each  other. 
'I'he  Chicklisats  on  this  occasion  did 
not  relish  the  presence  of  the  Kyu- 
quots. One  of  them  had  invited  them 
to  go  and  eat  in  his  house  to  get  them 
out  of  the  way  ;  then  he  had  iiuickly 
lo(  ked  u|)  the  house,  and  when  the 
Kyuquots  wanted  to  go  and  join  us  they 
found  the  entrant  e  of  the  lodge  locked 
up  fast.  (Ireat  was  their  indignation 
when  at  last  they  came  back  in  our  pres- 
ence. Angry  words,  speeches  and  ges- 
ticulations were  the  order  of  the  hour. 

.\pril  30. — 'I'hcy  left  the  Chicklisats 
ne.Nt  tlay.  as  hapjjy  as  we  ourselves  to 
return  to  their  own  tribe.  We  arrived 
ill  Kyuqtiot  in  due  time  and  May  i, 
next  morning,  we  h.  ..  .e  iiaiijiiness  of 
offering  u]i  the  holy  sai  rilire  of  the  Mass 
in  honor  of  the  I'.lessed  X'irgin  Mary,  ])ut- 
ting  our  new  mission  under  her  special 
l)rotection. 

His  Lordship  having  noticed  the  good 
disjiositions  of  the  Kyuquots,  had,  be- 
fore going  to  (,'hicklisat,  asked  the  cap- 
tain of  the  Siirf>iis(U)  make  a  large  mis- 
sion cross,  which  we  found  ready  upon  our 
arrival.  The  cross  was  twenty-four  feet 
lonj^,  with  the  cross  piece  in  proportion, 
it  was  the  work  of  not  only  the  captain, 


\N    (II  |i     Ml-  Uh   IM      \\i  i\l  AN. 

but  Peterson,  the  mate,  a  Swedish  Luth- 
eran, had  also,  as  well  as  a  number  of 
Indians  given  their  assistance. 

liefore  proceeding  to  plant  it,  we  were 
called  to  the  house  of  the  chief,  where 
we  found  all  the  men  of  the  tribe  as- 
sembled. .\fter  asking  our  permission, 
they  began  losing  some  of  their  savage 
songs  with  great  solemnity  :  then  they 
showed  us  a  mask,  the  handiwork  of 
northern  Indians,  most  ingeniously  made, 
as  also  a  piece  of  glass  (heina  1,  U)  which 
they  seemed  to  attach  unusual  import- 
ance :  as  well  as  a  numlier  of  beads  (Nei- 
whoi  I,  held  in  great  esteem  by  all  the 
Indians  on  this  coast,  and  sold  by  one 
tribe  to  another  at  the  most  exorbitant 
jirires.  After  a  speech  from  His  Lordship, 
condemning  all  Indian  superstitions  in 
general,  several  important  men  got  up 
and  promised  to  go   by  our  instructions. 

After  this  we  iiroceeded  to  the  blessing 
of  the  (loss.  It  was  placed  on  tiiree 
canoes  ;  about     fifty  young     men     took 


T 


lO 


X'ancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


chargf,  and  an  imnu-n^c  numlier  of  In- 
dians followed  us  in(-aii(>(.'>  to  the  foot  of 
a  small  island  opposite  the  shore,  then 
iinoa  iipied  and  seemingly  abandoned. 
And  there  it  now  >tands  in  sight  of  the 
tribe,  blessed  i)y  His  I,ordshi|i  according 
to  the  ritual.  It  was  beautitiil  to  see  the 
Indians  struggle  to  ( arry  the  heavy  bur- 
den. ])receded  by  His  I,ordshi]i.  in  siir- 
])lice  and  stole,  with  his  assistant  also  in 
surplice;  ant!  then,  when  it  was  r.iised, 
I'lfty  muskets  were  tired  olV.  a>  if  to  an- 
nounce a  great  triumph  to  the  savages  on 
the  KyiHiuot    Isiand>. 

We  tiiiislu'd  our  work  in  l\y\i(iuot  and, 
with  great  hopes  and  e\pe(  tations  con- 
cerning the  future  conversion  of  this 
large  tribe,  we  left  on  May  2,  taking  the 
direi  tion  of  (Juatsino  Sound.  However, 
the  wind  was  contrary,  and  His  Lordship 
came  to  the  conclusion ,  alter  lonsulting 
the  ca|)tain.  to  abandon  his  trij)  to  (Juat- 
sino  Sound:  and  thus  we  sailed  before 
the  wind,  and  arrived  that  evening  at  an 
anchorage  in  l)speranza  Inlet,  before  the 
camp  of  the   Newchaliot  Indians. 

May  3.  —  l'",arly  this  morning  we  were 
taken  in  a  canoe,  by  t'.ie  chief  of  the 
Newchaliots  and  a  c  rew  of  young  men, 
to  the  outside  camp,  where  the  Indians 
were  at  this  time  living. 

The  reception  given  to  us  b)'  the  New- 
chaliots was  something  never  to  be  for- 
gotten. The  news  of  our  arrival  had 
here  preceded  us.  The  (  hief  had  made 
a  new  house.  .\  wharf  about  two  hun- 
dred feet  in  length,  but  only  about  four 
feet  in  breadth,  had  been  constructed; 
and.  although  the  Indians  deserved 
credit  for  making  such  extraordinary 
preparations,  we  had  to  measure  our 
steps  and  movements,  lest  the  whole 
structure  should  break  down.  Inside  of 
the  chief's  house  the  ground  was  (  overed 
with  white  sand,  and  our  path  and  the 
room  which  we  were  to  occupy  was  laid 
with  new  mats;  the  walls  were  hung 
with  sails  of  canoes  and  pieces  of  calico. 
Twenty-nine  sea  otter  skins,  valued  by 
Captain  I'rancis,  of  the  Siir/'iisc,  at 
close  to  two  thousand  dollars,  were  hang- 


ing in  a  line  opjjo^ite  to  where  we    were 
sitting,  and  excited  our  admiration. 

The  Lhettesat  lndiansh;id  come  acro>s 
and  joined  the  Newchaliot>.  We  bap- 
tized the  ( hildren  of  the  two  tribe>, 
sixty-eight  in  all.  In  the  afternoon  a 
disturbance  between  the  two  tribes  took 
place  :  our  interjjreter  was  of  little  ac- 
count, and  our  success  was  not  in  keep- 
ing with  the  great  ])reparation>  they  had 
made  to  receive  u>.  However,  before  we 
left,  harmony  had  l)een  restored  ;  the 
l'.hettesit>  went  home,  and  we  returned 
to  the  Sz/rfr/sr,  where  we  remained 
until  .May  4.  when,  at  1.15,  a  Might 
bree/e  sprung  up,  and  we  slowly  mailed  up 
r.speranza  Inlet  ;  by  dark  we  were  near 
the  Nootka  Straits,  and  we  fastened  the 
schooner  with  a  rope  to  a  tree  alongside 
immense  bluffs  of  ])erpendicular  rock^, 
where  we  passed  the  night,  .\nother 
night  was  passed  before  we  got  to  the 
Nootka  side,  part  of  the  day  having  been 
spent  by  the  cai)tain  and  his  passengers 
in  fishing  for  rock  cod. 

May  6. — .\fter  pulling  u\)  the  oars  and 
dragging  the  schooner  alongside  of  the 
rocks  for  a  considerable  time,  we  at  last 
got  through  the  narrows.  This  morning 
we  had  a  strong  land  breeze  which  took 
us  to  r.ligh  Island,  then  beat  against  the 
breeze  from  Machelat  Inlet,  and  later 
the  westerly  wind  came  to  our  assistance 
and  we  arrived  at  the  Machelat  vil- 
lage (  ow-is)  at  half  past  twelve  i'.  M. 

Here.  also,  great  prejjarations  had 
been  made,  and  an  .\housat  Indian, 
Muggins  by  name,  was  there  with  Mach- 
elat young  men  to  take  us  on  shore 
from  the  schooner.  'I'his  Indian  had 
profited  by  our  instructions  to  his  own 
tribe,  and  upon  the  re(piest  of  the 
Machelats  had  taught  them  the  Sign  of 
the  Cross  and  some  of  our  hymns.  The 
Machelat  Indians  brought  their  children 
and  had  them  baptized  ;  their  number 
was  eighteen. 

May  7,  was  spent  with  the  Indians, 
the  captain  in  the  intervals  of  his  trading 
Idling  his  schooner  literally  up  with  deer 
and  elk  skins. 


\  ar.couvtr  Islaiul  ami  Its  Missions. 


1 1 


:er 


I.  A  vol  Nc;  WIDOW  AM>  IIKK  cilHIi. — 2.  VlilM.  MO  I  III  K,  IllLlilNC,  IIIK  Cllllli. —  3.  AN 
INPIAN  INKAM  IllU.h  HY  HIS  SIsl'KR. — 4.  MiMHKR  AM'  IWcl  CI  1 1  I.I  lU  I'.N .  -  5.  A  l.Odli- 
NATl'RED    MACIIEI.Al'    MoTllKK    WITH    IIKR    I  IRST-lluRN. 


13 


Vancouver  Island   and    Its   Missions. 


i    I 


May  <S, — We  started  this  morning  at 
4  o'clock  with  a  northerly  breeze  and 
cast  anchor  at  10.30  a.  m.  in  Friendly 
Cove. 

Here  we  met  a  large  tribe  of  Indians, 
very  noisy  and  disorderly  compared  with 
other  tribes.  We  succeeded  in  doing  very 
little  beyond  baptizing  the  children-  fifty- 
six--a  very  small  number, considering  that 
the  tribe  did  not  number  less  than  live 
hundred  Indians.  We  understood  the 
cause  of  the  dispositions  of  the  Indians 
to  be  the  talk  against  the  priests  by  Fort 
kupert  women  who  were  living  here,  and 
by  a  few  Indians  who  had  been  slaves  or 
had  resided  at  the  other  side  of  the 
island.  However,  we  stayed  another 
day  and  left  May  10,  when,  after  sailing 
before  a  westerly  wind,  wc  arrived  in 
Hes(|ucit  shortly  before  noon.  Here 
we  learned  that  the  Indians  expecting 
our  coming  were  afraid  to  go  out  fishing 
for  several  weeks  past.  'They  had  cleaned 
and  laid  mats  in  the  chiefs  house  — 
they  were  very  neatly  dressed,  the  women 
all  in  white  calico,  the  men  having  made 
pants  and  coats  of  blankets.  We  bap- 
tized their  children — lifty-six — under 
seven  years,  and  gave  them  the  usual 
instructions. 

.May  II. — We  rose  at  an  early  hour 
and  recommenced  our  instructions,  but 
by  this  time  the  (  aptain  was  anxious  to 
return  to  town  as  soon  as  possible,  and 
at  I  I  o'clock  his  sails  were  up  as  a  sign 
that  we  were  wanted  on  board.  The 
Indians  seemed  very  sorry  and  disap- 
pointed, but  we  left,  promising  to  visit 
them  again  in  the  near  future. 

May  i:;. — When  oil  Clayoquot  .Sound 
nine  Kyucpiot  canoes,  seventy-three 
men  and  one  woman,  overtook  us.  Our 
visit  over  the  coast  had  taken  away  all 
fear.  Only  two  or  three  of  the  <  rowd 
had  ever  been  to  Victoria,  and  none  in 
an  Indian  canoe,  as  doing  so  would  have 
exposed  them  to  the  danger  of  being 
killed  or  of  being  made  slaves  by  hostile 
tribes. 

May  13. — We  arrived  in  Dodger 
Cove.     There  was  no   wind    and    this 


gave  us  a  chance  to  go  and  visit  the 
Ochuklesat  Indians.  The  chief  was 
alongside  of  the  schooner  and  took  us  to 
his  cam]),  where  he  assembled  the  Indians 
whose  children  were  bajjtized,  twenty- 
three  in  number.  That  eveninji  he  took 
us  ba(  k  to  I  )odger  Cove,  where  we  ar- 
rived at  II  I'.  M.,  every  one  being  in 
bed.  We  had  no  supper,  as  everybody 
seemed  or  pretended  to  sleep,  and  we 
turned  in  with  the  happy  thought  that 
our  work  was  over. 

May  14. — We  said  Mass  at  the  store- 
keeper's house  at  5  \.  m.,  then  went  on 
board  and  lett  the  cove  sometime  before 
noon.  This  was  the  feast  of  the  Ascen- 
sion. 

May  15. — We  ran  before  a  line 
westerly  wind  a   i  arrived  in  Victoria  at 

S   l>.    M. 

Sk(i)NI)  visir  10  TiiK  wKsr  coAsr  In- 
dians IN  I.S74  \:\  rilK  KKiin  RKV. 
lilSllOP  SF.r.HKKS,  1).  1). ,  AND  Rl  V.  A.  .1. 
r.RAliAX  1. 

The  day  of  our  departure  was  the  lirst 
of  September.  Two  days  before.  Captain 
Francis  had  been  married  in  St.  Andrew's 
Cathedral  by  Rev.  Father  Brabant  to 
C;ecilia,  a  half  breed  girl,  the  niece  of 
Mrs.  I.eipiier.  The  effects  of  the  feast 
were  visible  on  the  skipi>er's  counte- 
nance and  in  his  manners.  .\s  a  first 
mishap,  the  man  who  was  to  act  as  mate 
did  not  turn  up  at  the  hour  agreed  upon 
by  the  captain  ;  however,  after  a  run  on 
shore  by  one  of  the  boys,  we  saw  him  at 
last,  and  upon  crawling  on  board  he 
mentioned  that  the  cause  of  the  delay 
was  that  his  concubine,  a  Ilydah  woman, 
had  run  away.  This  our  mate  was  a 
Greek,  and  also  rejoiced  in  the  name  of 
Frank.  Thus,  with  two  Franks  and  two 
Indians  from  the  coast,  and  as  we  dis- 
covered afterwards,  with  plenty  of  whis- 
key on  board,  we  started  on  our  second 
visit  to  our  West  Coast  Indians. 

The  I'lrst  few  hours  were  spent  pleas- 
antly, but  when  we  got  to  the  straits  our 
skipper  began  to  make  freipient  calls 
down  in  the  cabin.     .\t  last  we  discovered 


Vancouver   Island  and  Its  Missions. 


^3 


•y   .  - 


that  he  was  get- 
ting very  drunk. 
T  li  i  s  rather 
alarmed  us,  as 
Frank,  our  (1  reek 
mate,  had  never 
been  on  the  coast 
and  our  Indian 
sailors  could  not 
be  relied  upon. 
His  Lordship  ad- 
vised me  to  try 
and  ti  n  d  out 
where  the  captain 
kept  his  lii|uor 
and  throw  it 
overboard. 

Meanwhile 
Frank,  the  Greek, 
came  down  and 
told  us  that  he 
had  taken  charge 
of  and  hidden 
all  the  liquor  on 
board.  It  was 
now  great  fun  to 
watch  the  skip- 
per. He  went 
downstairs  on  his 
old  errand;  he 
pretended  to 
whistle   so   as  to 

be  unnoticed;  then  he  looked  up  the  inji  sober  when  we  entered  I'achcna  Hay. 
stain  asc,  then  made  for  the  locker,  iiut  The  wind  was  blowii.n  fresh  from  the 
nothin},^  there  !  Where  could  the  liipior  west  when  we  entered  the  harbor.  Our 
be?  He  did  not  say  a  word  alujiit  it.  schooner  was  sui)posed  to  ^o  up  the 
Meanwhile  he  silentl\  c  ursed  at  his  river  to  dischar.ue  at  the  store  kept  by 
<:lerical  ])assengers  and  told  the  mate  Neils  Moos.  \\'e  were  ^oiny  full  speed 
of  it  :  then  he  begged  him  for  a  little  when  she  sudcknly  struck  on  the  sand 
drink.  It  was  refused  at  first  ;  later  on  bank  :  the  c  hanncl  had  shifted,  or  ratiier 
something  was  given  him  now  and  our  captain  was  out  of  his  reckonings 
then  to  sober  him  up.  All  this  time  through  whiskey  !  I'.very  wave  took  her 
the  old  man  was  growling  at  us  and  up  higher  and  higher.  A  few  more 
blaming  us  for  taking  his  favorite  bev-  dashes  and  she  was  gone.  IJut  Neils 
erage,  and  never  suspected  for  a  mo-  Moos  coming  on  board  saved  her  from 
ment  that  the  licpior  which  wasgi\ent()  ruin.  We  took  charge  without  heeding 
sober   him    up    was    his    own     iirojjerty,     our  drunken   skipjier.  and  an  hour  later 


INUIAN  WAKKIOK  SINi.lNC.  Sl)N(;  ( il-  VICTHKV  AITl.K  Kll.llM.  A 
NTAN. — 2.  IN  rni.  ACI  Ol  KII  1  1N(;  IN  A  IIUSII  -A  C()N\  F.KIIIi 
INhlAV     loSKIi     l-nR      11II>K     ril\SF.S    u  I-      MIS     luKMIK      I  I  IK. 


very   jjroperly   taken   awav    from  him  by 
the  mate. 

Although  the    measure    adopted     had 


she  was  at  anchor  betore  Capt.  Spring  \- 
Co.  's  store. 

-Nothing     of  imich      conseipience    cjc- 


the  effect  of  keeping  the  old  man  from    curred,   but    when    we    lett    for   Barclay 
greater  excess,  still   he  was  far   from  be-    Sound    we    met   at    the    mouth    of   San 


jr 


14 


Vancouver   Island  ami    Its   Missions. 


Jiian  liarlK)r  a  canoe  trom  \'i(  toria  with 
a  supply  of  wliiskfv.  I!y  and  by  wt-saw 
H.  M.  S.  /iiixcr  coiiu'  out  of  Ni-ah 
liay  and  steam  for  the  I'a'  hrna  ('am)). 
Dr.  I'owrll,  Sui)erintt.ndi'nt  of  Indian 
■Xffairs.  was  on  l)oard,  and  this  was  his 
first  trip  alon};  the  coast.  When  he 
landed  at  theranc  h  he  fonml  every  man. 
save  the  (  hief,  liea.stly  drunk. 

We  jiot  in  liarclay  Sound  on  the  7th 
of  September;  the<>hiat  Indians  had 
moved  uj)  the  Sound  ;  and  after  dis- 
(harjiinj;  frei,iiht  at  the  store  in  Dodger 
Cove  we  continued  our  journey  to 
Iduliat. 

Here  the  schooner  Sur/Tisc  was  to 
stop  and  we  were  to  continue  on  our 
trip  in  our  Indian  <anoe.  ("onse(|uently 
Capt.  I'rancis  pave  us  as  pilots  two 
KyiKjUot  Indians,  who  had  been  engaged 
as  deck-hamls  on  the  Siiif/isi\  and  also 
a  good  si'.ding  canoe,  besiiles  lots  of 
])rovisions. 

We  bade  him  and  liis  young  wifegood- 
bve  and  a  happy  honeymoon  on  the  Sth 
of  September,  at  7  o'clock.  .\ni\  now 
we  were  on  the  open  ocean  in  a  small 
sealing  canoe  with  two  Kyucpiot  and 
one  I'.gatisa!  Indian.  The  sea  was 
heavy  and  no  wind.  An  occasional 
wave  broke  over  our  bows  and  did  con- 
siderable damage  to  our  stoc  k  of  pro- 
visions. esi)ecially  to  our  biscuits  and  our 
sack  of  llour. 

Without  furtlier  mishap  we  arrived  at 
'•Opcssat."  ("layo(piot  Sound,  at  about 
2  o'clock  r.  M.,  where  we  found  the  In- 
dians verv  much  excited  over  the  news 
that  a  man-of-war  was  anchored  to  the 
leeward  of  N'argas  Island  with  the  Super- 
intendent of  Indian  .Xffairs  on  board. 
We  continued  our  vovage.  and  about  4 
o'clock  I'.  M.  we  saw  H.  .\I.  S.  /^'w/at 
anchor  at  the  above-named  i)lace.  .Ml 
this  time  we  had  not  a  breath  of  wind, 
but  our  Indians  kept  on  paddling  and 
we  went  at  last  on  shore  on  Mores 
Island,  just  opposite  one  of  the  .\housat 
villages  called  I'.sik-ta-kis. 

It  was  not  a  good  camping  place,  and 
the  hour  being  rather  late  and  the  night 
dark,  we  felt  compelled   to    stretch  our 


weary  limbs  without  even  taking  a  warm 
drink  of  tea.  We  were  enjoying  our 
sleej)  as  best  we  could  when  all  of  a  sud- 
den, some  time  after  midnight,  an 
.\housat  Indian  came  to  wake  us  up. 
He  was  sent  by  the  tribe  ;  they  were  all 
up  and  expected  us  to  go  over.  Hut 
His  I.ordshij)  prevailed  ujujn  him  to  let 
ns  enjoy  our  camping  out  rather  than 
go  two  miles  across  the  sound  in  the 
middle  of  the  night  and  avail  ourselves 
of  the  Indians'  hosi)itality.  When  at 
last  the  Indian  concluded  to  leave  us,  he 
went  away  saying  that  we  were  very 
la/y  : 

Shortly  alter  our  Ahousat  visitor  had 
left  us  we  were  again  aroused  from  our 
slinnber  by  the  noise  of  some  Hescjuiat 
Indians  who  were  on  their  way  to  .\how- 
sat.  They  wanted  to  know  who  we 
were,  where  we  came  from  and  where  we 
were  going,  and  finished  by  saying  that 
the  sea  was  very  rough  on  the  outside 
coast.  When  nest  morning  we  awoke, 
we  made  a  laige  fire  and  at  daylight  we 
could  see  that  we  had  camiied  in  a  very 
poor  place  and  as  it  began  to  rain, 
which  prevented  us  from  leaving,  we  had 
occasion  to  s])end  some  very  dreary  hours 
on  that  s|)ot.  However,  at  noon  the 
weather  cleared  up  and  then  we  pro- 
ceeded on  our  voyage  till  we  arrived, 
about  5  !■.  \i.,  at  Refuge  Cove. 

Here  ipiite  a  number  of  the  Hescpiiat 
Indians  were  living,  and  as  the  man-of- 
war  was  now  anchored  in  the  Cove  and 
had  been  followed  by  a  large  number 
of  Ahousats  and  some  Clayotpiots,  the 
place  presenteil  ipiite  a  lively  appearance. 
.\  number  of  junior  officers  and  bbie- 
jackets  were  on  shore,  and  when  we  had 
just  pitched  our  tent  we  received  the  visit 
of  .\Ir.  Tim  Scaidan,  an  Irishman  who 
acted  as  steward  on  board  the  vessel.  I  le 
told  us,  in  a  rich  Irish  brogue,  wherein 
we  were  wrong,  viz.:  travelling  at  such 
a  time  of  the  year  and  in  such  a  canoe, 
and  he  added  that  the  captain  of  the 
vessel  had  repeatedly  spoken  of  us  and 
was  determined  to  pick  us  up  wherever 
he  would  meet  us.  .\t  the  re(|uest  of 
His    Lordship,    Mr.    Scanlan    promised 


\'ancoiiver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


•5 


not  to  make  the  captain  aware  ol  our 
l)rescncc,  but  'I'ini  came  hack  soon  after 
witli  a  supply  of  |)rovisions  in  the  shape 
of  some  loaves  of  fresh  hread,  a  leg  of 
mutton,  a  ipiarter  of  elk,  two  bottles  of 
wine  and  one  bottle  of  brandy.  I'pon 
his  suggestion,  we  opened  a  bottle  of 
wine  and  drank  to  the  health  of  His 
Lordship,  the  Itishop,  who  in  his  turn 
proposeil  the  health  of  Tim  Scaalan. 
'i'his  scene  was  without  outside  witnesses, 
and  took  jjlace  on  the  evening  ofthe  (>th 
of  Se|)teniber,  1.S74.  in  Refuge  Cnve. 

Nest  morning  we  were  having  our 
breakfast  when  the  man-of-war  steamed 
out  of  Refuge  Cove  and  we  resumed  our 
journey  as  soon  as  that  transaction  was 
over.  No  wintl.  a  heavy  sea  and  the 
sun  burning  over  our  heads,  made  the 
•  Tossing  of  Hesipiiat  harbor  anything 
but  pleasant,  liesides,  our  Indians  had 
indigestion  and  were  all  three  very  sea- 
sick. ( )ne  of  thcni,  between  the  inter- 
vals of  vomiting,  would  carelessly  sing 
old  Indian  songs,  which  would  afford  us, 
if  not  recreation,  at  least  a  topic  to  speak 
about.  -At  noon  we  took  dinner  in 
front  of  the  Hesipiiat  outsiilc  cam" 
(oumcis).  Then  we  went  on  shore 
again  on  the  I'.scalante  Rocks,  whence  we 
paddled  to  i'"riendly  Cove.  Nootka 
Sound.  There,  to  our  honor,  we 
again  found  the  /wMwat  an<  lior  ;  and 
while  we  were  boiling  our  cup  of  tea  and 
the  Indians  were  i)utting  up  our  tent  we 
received  once  more  the  visit  ot  our  friend 
of  yesterday,  Mr.  Tim  Scanlan,  who 
brought  us  another  bottle  tif  brandy  :  at 
the  same  time  he  announced  that  the 
captain  had  ordered  his  boat  to  be  low- 
ered and  that  with  the  Superintendent  of 
Indian  affairs  he  would  come  on  shore 
and  invite  us  to  go  on  board  of  his  ves- 
sel. .\nd  indeed  before  we  had  taken 
our  lea,  we  were  introduced  to  Captain 
Collins,  ofthe  Royal  Navy,  and  by  him 
])revailed  upon  to  abandon  our  way  of 
travelling  in  an  Indian  canoe  and  avail 
ourselves  of  the  accommodation  of  an 
I'.nglish  man  of-war  to  continue  our 
journey.        The    captain,    as    we    under- 


stood, was  a  staunch  member  ol  the 
Anglican  «  hun  h  and  every  day  held  di- 
vine service  on  board.  Me  kept  a  bank 
for  the  men  and  had  established  a  tem- 
perance society  for  them.  He  made  our 
stay  on  board  most  enjoyalile,  and,  as  it 
hapi)ened  to  iie  on  a  l-'riday,  he  kindly 
and  delicately  had  matters  arranged  in 
such  a  way  that  the  abstinence  enjoined 
by  the  Chnr(  h  on  that  day  was  easily  ob- 
served. The  weather  was  thi<k  and 
foggy,  but  we  managed  to  ])ass  the 
Nootka  narrows  long  before  noon.  We 
went  as  far  as  Catala  Island,  an(  hored 
there  for  a  time,  but  as  it  was  not  al- 
lowed by  the  rules  of  the  navy  to  go  out 
in  the  foggy,  uncertain  weather  it 
then  was.  the  captain  (  onchided  to  run 
for  (jueen's  Cove  and  there  spend  the 
night  at  anchor  in  smooth  water.  .\ 
beautiful  hammo(  k  was  fixed  up  as  a  bed 
for  His  l.ordshij)  the  l>isho|).  and  a  bed 
was  prejiared  for  me  on  a  sofa.  Our  In- 
dians were  made  comfortable  below  with 
the  marines.  W'e  left  next  morning  at  5 
A.  \i.:  got  as  fir  as  Catala  Island,  but 
owing  to  the  stale  of  the  weather  and  sea 
we  once  more  relurned  to  (^>ueen's  (.'ove. 
At  noon  we  made  a  fresh  start  and  run- 
ning as  we  did  before  a  tresh  easterly 
bree/e.  we  arrived  early  in  the  afternoon 
to  anchor  in  .Man  of-\Var  harbor,  Kyu- 
quot  Sound. 

We  left  H.  M.  S.  AVavv  next  morn- 
ing at  5  o'clock  (  )ur  canoe,  which  had 
been  taken  on  board  at  I'riendly  Cove, 
was  lowered  and  the  liberality  of  Tim 
Scmlan,  under  ortlers  of  the  captain, 
had  so  nuich  increased  our  slock  of  pro- 
visions that  by  the  lime  we  got  in  her 
we  were  so  deeply  loaded  that  it  was 
impossible  or  dangerous  to  look  behind 
us  to  cast  a  last  look  at  the  fine  war  ves- 
sel, on  which  we  had  spent  two  most 
enjoyable  days. 

.\nd  now  we  were  on  shore  in  Kyu- 
•  piot  Sound  !  We  took  up  our  head- 
quarters in  Ca])t.  Sjiring's  old  and  un- 
occupied store.  We  went  to  Chicluat 
next  day,  where  we  did  very  little  be- 
sides ba])ti/ipg  one  child.     We  soon  dis- 


^ 


i6 


Vancouver  Islaiul  aiul  Its  Missions. 


covered  that  wc  had  ( hoscn  a  l>>d  time 
of  the  >ear  to  tind  the  Kyu(|iii)ts  to- 
gether. I'hey  were  camped  at  a  dozen 
different  places,  but  His  Lonlsliip  ton- 
chided  that  lie  would  go  and  see  the 
<:hief  Me  was  at  the  end  of  Itokshis 
inlit,  and  thore  we  met  him  nt'\t  day 
with  a  few  more  Indians.  We  l)a|)ti/e(l 
a  few  newlyltorn  children.  Hi^  Lord 
ship  prepared  a  young  girl  who  was  at 
the  point  of  death,  but  nothing  else 
coulil  be  a((:oni|)lished.  His  Lordship 
ha«l  bought  from  the  t  hief  for  a  few  bis- 
cnits  a  wooden  bucket  representing  an 
animal,  the  tail  being  the  handle,  the 
body  the  body  of  the  bu(  kct,  and  the 
head  and  mouth  the  p.issages  through 
which  the  water  or  liijuid  was  poured. 
It  was  a  ( urious  piece  of  work  very 
artistically  done,  and  together  with 
some  masks  got  also  at  this  place,  was 
given  as  a  souvenir  of  our  trip  to  Cap- 
tain Collins  of  H.  M.  S.  /A'wv,  who 
felt  so  proud  of  the  gilt  that  he  after- 
wards exhiliited  it  in  one  of  the  princi- 
pal hotels  in  Victoria. 

Sejitember  i  7. — 'I'he  (hief  sent  his  son 
and  six  other  young  men  next  day  to 
where  we  expressed  the  wish  to  go, 
namely  the  New(  haliot  village.  We 
had  a  (piick  but  rough  passage;  at  one 
time  the  sea  strui  k  our  t  anoe  and  nearly 
filled  her  up  with  water. 

.\t  Newchaliot  we  did  very  little  or 
no  good,  the  dispositions  of   the  Indians 
being  very  indifferent,   and    it   ( ost   us 
quite  an  amount  of  trouble  to  get  a  crew 
to  take   us  to   the   next  tribe.      I'inally 
three  old    men    volunteered,    and   that 
night    we   were    amongst    the    Nootka? 
camped  at  Cah  Shis.     We   found  thes« 
Indians  in  full  glee — a  dead   whale  ha', 
drifted    on    their  land  and   the   house 
were  full  of  blubber,  whi<h   the  womei 
were  boiling  and  reducing  to  oil.      1  d( 
not  think   that  anything  that   we  coulc 
have  said  under  the  circumstances  woul 
have  had  much  effect,  as  the  whale  was 
uppermost  in  their  minds. 

We  stayed  only  one  night,  then  with  a 


small  crew  we  went  down  the  sound, 
went  on  shore  at  I  itawinni,  bapti/ed  a  few- 
children, but  could  not  get  to  Mac  helat 
that  day.  We  therefore  slept  at  a  place 
<  ailed  O-is  and  went  the  next  morning  to 
( >w  is,  where  the  .Machelat  <hief  was 
camped  and  exjiected  us  at  any  moment. 
As  we  went  on  shore  at  ( )-is  the  eve- 
ning before,  a  .Ma(  helat  canoe  had  seen 
us  and  reported  our  approa<  h  to  their 
friends,  'i'hen  the  tribe  at  once  i)ve- 
pared  to  receive  us.  Messengers  had 
been  sent  that  very  night  to  all  the  fish- 
ing stations,  and  by  the  time  we  arrived 
we  learned  that  the  tribe  was  collecting 
on  the  other  side  of  the  sound. 

September  21.  .\t  1  1  o'clo(  k  as  a  strong 
westerly  wind  was  blowing  up  Mac  helat 
Inlet,  ten  canoes  filled  with  Indians  put 
up  sail  on  the  other  side  and  steered  for 
Ow-is.  It  was  a  sight  never  to  be  for- 
gotten, the  enthusiasm  of  these  Indians 
and  the  taste  displayed  in  their  arrange- 
ments for  our  reception.  They  w^re  all 
nicely  dressed,  the  women  in  white  calico 
robes  and  the  men  with  pants  and  coats. 
We  assembled  them  at  once  and  stayed 
with  them  three  days,  during  which  time 
they  learned  the  Lord's  Prayer,  the  Hail 
.Mary,  the  Creed,  Ten  Commandments 
and  Seven  Sacraments  in  their  own  lan- 
guage. Most  of  the  Indians  were  living 
under  tents  made  with  their  canoe  sails, 
at  all  times  a  poor  shelter,  but  especially 
at  this  season  ot  the  year.  Hut  upon 
expressing  our  feelings  of  sorrow  for 
them,  as  it  was  raining  most  of  the  time, 
they  pleasantly  replied  that  the  rain  did 
not  cause  them  any  inconvenience,  and 
that  we  should  not  leave  them  Ivefore 
they  knew  everything  we  had  a  mind  to 
teach  them.  Such  fervor  and  zeal  we 
had  not  met  in  any  other  tribe,  and 
therefore,  in  order  to  encourage  and  re- 
ward them.  His  Lordship  concluded  to 
])lant  at  their  principal  camping  ])lace 
another  mission  cross.  This  was  done 
with  great  succcess,  and  in  the  same 
order  as  we  had  observed  on  the  occasion 
of  our  first  trip  at  Kyutpiot. 


X'aiKoiiver  Island  ami  Its  Missions. 


t7 


September  25.  —  Next  iiiominn  we 
left  Machelal  in  one  of  their  <  anoes. 
witli  tlie  diiel  and  eleviii  ot'  liis 
young  Mien,  en  route  lor  llesipiiat. 
Wlien  off  Sunday  Kock  we  met  a  lies 
>|uiat  <  anoe  crowded  witli  youn^;  men, 
who  were  on  tlie  lookout  for  our  e\- 
])e(:ted  arrival.  As  sotui  as  they  recog- 
nized us  tluy  put  about,  intending  to 
precede  us  and  warn  the  tribe.  Mow- 
ever,  our  Maciielat  crew  took  to  their 
paddles,  and  a  regular  race  between  the 
two  canoes  took  place.  There  was  no 
wind,  and  the  sea  ran  mountains  high. 
We  had  not  met  such  a  heavy  swell  in  all 


We  began  «)ur  work  at  once;  taught  the 
lord's  I'r.iyer,  Hail  Mary,  C:reed,  Ten 
Commandments  and  Seven  Sacraments, 
all  of  which  the  Indians  learned  with 
nine  h  zeal.  Here  it  struc  k  the  liishop  that 
this  tribe  would  be  a  good  plac  i'  to  start  a 
Mission,  being  the  most  c  entral  and  the 
Indiansof  the  best  good  will.  He  men- 
tioned the  n\atter  to  the  chiet'.  asking  of 
him  to  asseud)le  the  other  c  hiefs  of  the 
tribe  and  projiose  to  them  the  matter  in 
tpiestion  ;  whic  h  having  been  done,  we 
were  informed,  in  presenc  e  of  the  whole 
tribe,  that  land  would  be  given  for  Mission 
buildings   and    other   |iuri)oses  ;  that  we 


MlIi.M.    AW  \Kli|-.l>    CMll.l'    MAM   \UA\V    OK    U  KS(,i|'I  AT    HV     I  U  !■     DoMlNKiN     H>K     KI>CI   IM;     I  11 K 
CKIAV    (i|-   nil-;    AMKKICAN     liAUk    I'.dzvill. 

our  travels.  .Mthough  in  company  with  could  have  our  choice  as  to  locality, 
the  Hestpiiats,  we  would  lose  sight  of  At  the  same  time  a  npot  was  mentioned 
them  for  several  minutes  to  see  them  on  the  hill — according  to  the  l>ishop 
again  rise  on  the  crest  of  the  heavy  not  desirable,  being  too  much  exposed 
waves,  whilst  we  were,  as  it  were,  in  the  to  the  northerly  wind.  .\s  to  the  ob- 
abyss  of  the  ocean.  It  was  a  really  jection  that  the  spot  was  surrounded  by 
grand  piece  of  sailing  we  liad  on  that  Indian  houses,  the  Indians  were  willing 
day  from  Sunday  Rocks  to  llcscjuiat  to  evacuate  the  villige  site  and  grant 
harbor.  W"  at  last  lost  sight  of  the  lies-  it  for  Mission  ])urposc  s.  During  our  stay 
cjuiats  in  the  fog,  but  we  could  hear  them  at  Hesipiiat,  as  well  as  at  Machelat,  we 
fire  off  their  guns  ahead  of  us  as  a  signal  said  Mass  every  morning  at  5  o'clock,  at 
to  the  tribe  to  be  ready.  We  found  the  which  all  the  Indians  were  present,  and 
chiefs  house,  where  we  stayed  for  tour  during  which  they  recited  the  Holy 
days,  cleanly  swept  out,  and  mats  laid  all  Rosary.  We  here  noticed  every  morn- 
over  the  floor,  and  the  Indians  full  of  ing — and,  in  fact,  whenever  we  assem- 
joy  to  see  us  again.  bled  the  Indians — such  zeal  and    fervor 


Ui. 


bi 


\ 


1 8 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


that  old  men  unable  to  walk  were  carried 
on  the  backs  of  the  young  men  to  the 
chiefs  house,  and  some  of  them  came  on 
hands  and  feet. 

The  oldchiefof  Hes<iuiat,  his  son  being 
absent  at  Cape  I'lattery,  took  us  to 
Ahousat  with  a  large  crew  of  young  men. 
We  arrived  in  due  time  at  llsik-takis, 
the  residence  of  Shi-oush,  the  second 
chief  of  the  tribe.  Mokivinna,  the  first 
chief,  was  sent  for,  but  refused  to  come, 
having  only  lately  lost  one  of  his  children. 
Shi-oush  at  once  sent  out  several  canoes 
to  fetch  the  Indians  from  their  different 
salmon  rivers.  The  messengers  trav- 
elled all  night,  and  next  morning  ([uite  a 
large  number  arrived  and  listened  to  the 
Bishop's  instructions,  and  learned  part 
of  our  Catholic  hymns  and  prayers:  but, 
being  over-an.\ious  to  return  to  their 
homes  that  evening,  a  disturbance  took 
place,  and  they  got  a  severe  reprimand 
from  the  Hishoi).  Afterwards  things 
were  settled,  and  the  Indians  left  us 
in  good  humor,  while  we  prepared  to 
leave  next  morning. 

October  i. — Shioush  and  his  oldest 
son  and  one  of  his  slaves  took  us  to  Clayo- 
([uot,  where  we  found  the  chief  absent  ; 
but  we  were  taken  to  the  lodge  of  Sita- 
kcnim,  where  we  slept. 

October  2. — 'I'he  chief  arrived  next 
morning.  We  went  over  to  see  him,  but 
as  he  was  eating  as  we  went  into  the  house. 
His  Lordship,  the  iiishop  of  \'ancouver 
1  stand,  and  one  of  his  priests  were  told  to 
go  outside  :  that  the  chief  of  the  Ciayo- 
ipiots  could  not  transact  any  business 
w  "h  them  till  he  had  finished  eating  his 
breakfast  !  After  walking  outside  (piite  a 
time  Shi-oush, the  ('layo(|uot  chief,  came 
to  meet  us,  asked  our  business  and  pro- 
posed to  assemble  the  Indians  there 
present  (()])LSsati  in  his  house,  which 
was  not  (|uite  made  up  for  the  winter 
season,  'i'he  iiislio],  sjjoke  to  them  for 
some  little  time,  after  which  I  baptized 
four  young  children.  Having  proposed 
to  the  Clayoipiot  chief  to  take  us  to 
I'cluliat  he  wished  us  to  go  with  him  up 
the  Clayoquot  arm  to  his  salmon  station; 


he  would  from  there  cross  to  Long  Bay  or 
Schooner  Cove.  If  no  canoe  was  at  any 
of  the  outside  camps  it  would  be  an  easy 
task  to  pull  a  canoe  across  and  put  her 
afloat  with  our  baggage  at  Long  Bay, 
comparatively  speaking,  a  short  distance 
from  Ucluliat  harbor.  We  complied 
with  his  desire,  which  gave  us  a  chance 
to  see  Clayo(|uot  inlet,  the  entrance  to 
the  lake,  and  the  muddy  flats,  literally 
alive  with  ducks  and  geese.  The  dreary 
hours  that  we  s])ent  at  that  chiefs  house 
are  painful  to  remember  :  the  smoke  and 
stench  inside  cannot  be  imagined ;  besides, 
the  house  was  so  low  and  the  abund- 
ance of  salmon  so  great  that  we  could 
not  move  e.xcept  in  a  stooping  position 
and  we  could  not  put  down  a  foot  except 
on  or  over  dissected  salmon  or  salmon 
roe  !  We,  therefore,  went  outside  and 
])  hed  our  tent,  and  next  morning  we 
begged  of  the  chief  as  a  favor  to  take  us 
to  Long  liay  and  thence  to  I'cluliat. 
The  poor  man  seemed  anxious  to  comply 
with  our  request,  but  upon  coming  to 
the  sea-coast  he  found  that  the  surf 
would  not  allow  launching  a  canoe.  \\  e, 
therefore,  were  compelled  to  pitch  our 
tent  and  await  better  weather.  Mean- 
while he  went  to  his  house  and  family, 
l)romising  to  come  next  day.  He  kept  his 
word,  but  made  the  same  remark  as  the 
day  before — easterly  wind.  Off  he  went 
again  with  the  ])romise  of  another  visit 
next  day.  Again  he  kept  his  word,  but 
again  the  same  difficulty  —  easterly 
wind,  'i'his  morning,  upon  rising,  we 
noticed  that  our  tent  had  been  visited 
by  a  bear.  His  tracks  were  there,  but 
finding  the  tent  occujjied  he  had  jjre- 
ferred  to  walk  off  rather  tlian  ilisturb  us. 
.About  noon  His  Lordship  proposed  to 
walk  over  the  Indian  trail  to  rduiiat. 
The  Clayoipiots  hardly  ai)]iroved  ot 
the  idea,  but  promised  to  take  our  bag- 
gage to  ('apt.  I''rancis's  house  as  soon  as 
the  weather  would  permit.  With  this 
promise  the  Bishop  was  satisfied,  or- 
dered me  to  prepare  some  provisions, 
which  I  did  with  reluctance,  and  off  we 
went,  on  foot,    accompanied  by  two  Ky- 


jgk^-^^. 


h 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


'9 


U'luot  Indians  who  helped  us  in  carrying 
the  things  that  we  had  judged  necessary 
to  take  along.  W'e  walked  all  that  after- 
noon, first  over  a  beautiful  sandy  beach; 
then  we  crossed  a  point  and  arrived  in 
Wreck  Hay,  around  which  we  also  walked 
that  day  over  a  nasty,  gravelly  shore, 
and  shortlv  before  dark  we   made  a  fire 


midnight  the  water  was  streaming  down 
the  hill  under  us,  and  having  decamped 
to  the  upper  side  of  the  stump  of  a  large 
tree.  I  called  the  Uishop  to  come  and 
join  me.  which  after  some  persuasion  he 
did.  I  sliowing  him  the  way  by  striking 
from  time  to  time  a  match.  I  was  after- 
wards sorry  for  extending  the  invitation. 


M 


•1 

i1 


i 


ig,   we 
visited 
ro,  but 
vd  pre- 
urb  us. 
osed  to 
■luliat. 
•ed    ot 
iir  bag- 
soon  as 
,th  this 
;d,    or- 
■isions, 
off  we 
wo  Ky- 


A    i.knl    !•    Ill'    IMllANS    Willi     llll.lK    ilMII.    M  \  I  I  A 1 1  \  \> 

lAIUI.K     l.R\l:\NI. 


I  111-.    Will    l,|i.|;K  Ml    KIllKhK      nl- 


and    prepared   our  supper.       Then    the  as  we  soon  discovered  that  we  iiad  moved 

Bishop  ordered   the  Indians    to    prejiare  from  bad  to  worse.      Here,  however,  we 

for    us    a    decent  camping  place,    whi(  h  remained   in  the  water  ami  mud  till  four 

they  did.  half  way  on  a  sandy  hill.       We  o'c!i(k   in    tlie    morning,  when    i    went 

laid  down  and  fell  asleep,   but  were  soon  dow  n  the  hill  and  made  a  cup  of  tea  on 

awakened  by  heavy  drops  of  rain,  and  we  the    fire  of  last    night,  which    had   kept 

then  noticed  that  the  sky  had  clouded  alive  under  a  large  piece  of  a  log. 

up  and  that  it  was  pitch    dark.      About  We    lett   as   soon    as  it   wa->  daylight. 


% 


■'! 


ff/'I 


20 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


M 


After  a  short  walk  along  the  beach  we 
took  to  the  bush,  inteiidinji   to  make  a 
short  cut  of  a   projecting  point.      After 
struggling    about    a    couple    of     hours 
through   the   thick   salal   brushwood,  we 
came  to  the  Indian  trail,  which  we  were 
glad  to  discover;    and   following  it  with 
great   avidity    we    travelled    about    five 
miles  an    hour,  when,   lo'    to  our  great 
disappointment,    we    noticed    that    said 
trail   led    directly    to    our    old  camping 
place,  where  the   fire  on   which   we  had 
cooked  our  breakfast  was  still  smoking. 
Our   courage    now    sank   very  low,  and 
then,  instead  of  following  the  same  trail 
in   an  opposite  direction,  which  with  a 
little  reOection  we  ought  to  have  done, 
we  went  over  rocks  and  boulders  around 
the  point  which  we  had  intended  to  have 
cut  off  that  morning.      According  to  di- 
rections given  by  the  Clayoipiots  we  were 
at  a  certain  spot  to  cross  to  the  Ucluliat 
inlet.      This  we  intended  to  do,  when  we 
took  to  the  bush  again.     We  walked  and 
walked  till    I  found  my  strength  failing, 
which  the  Bishop  noticing,  he  proposed 
that  we   should  take  something  to  eat. 
Accordingly  we  made  a  fire  in  the  bush, 
and  then  we  boiled  doughnutsl      We  ate 
them  with  great  appetite;  then  we  noticed 
that  our  two  Kymiuot    Indians  began  to 
show  bad  will  and  insisted  on  going  back 
to  the  beach,  which  we  accordingly  did. 
Marly  in  the  afternoon  the  rain,  which 
had   fallen   in   the  morning  in  the  shape 
of  a  S(ot(  h  mist,  became    thicker    and 
thi(  ker,  and  having  come  to  a  small  bay, 
where  driftwood  was   piled  up  in  great 
(luantity,  we  prepared  a  place  where  we 
could   spend  the    night.      We  started  a 
big  fire,  which  soon   si)read  to  the  trees 
around,  and  in  the  morning  I  discovered 
that  a  hole  was  l)urned  through  one  of  my 
boots  and  that  my  cloak  was  badly  dam- 
aged.     The   liishop's  clothing  had   also 
suffered  to  a  certain  extent  through  fire. 
We  took  as  breakfast  the   last   piece  of 
meal  we  had    left,   and    we    also    made 
slapj.icks  with  our  last   llour.      .\fter  this 
we  began  lo  walk  with  renewed  courage. 
However,  about  nine  o'clock  the  iiishop 


took  a  fainting  fit.  He  lay  down  on  the 
rocks  and  asked  if  I  had  any  food  left. 
I  took  down  a  satchel  which  I  had  on  my 
back,  and  after  careful  examination  I 
found  in  a  paper  a  few  grains  of  sugar 
and  a  little  flour  in  the  corner  of  an  old 
flour  sack  ;  this  I  gathered  in  a  spoon 
and  presented  to  His  Lordship;  he  would 
not,  however,  take  any  of  it  except  after 
I  had  taken  my  share,  saying  that  he 
did  not  know  what  would  become  of  us 
in  case  I  should  also  give  out.  We  next 
noticed  that  the  Indians  were  gathering 
mussels  on  the  rocks  ..nd  ate  them  with 
great  relish.  This  we  also  did  and  raw 
mussels  and  salal  berries  were  the  only 
food  which  we  took  till  we  reached 
Captain  Francis'  place  in  I.'cluliat  next 
morning. 

Ihe  captain  could  hardly  recognize 
us;  seeing  our  condition  and  hearing  of 
our  long  compulsory  abstaining  from 
food,  he  advised  us,  and  we  followed  his 
advice,  not  to  take  any  full  meal  till  we 
had  by  eating  very  little  at  a  time 
prepared  our  stomachs  for  its  usual 
functions — at  the  same  time  the  captain 
went  into  his  store  and  gave  us  new  pants 
and  shoes,  for  all  our  clothes  had  been 
reduced  to  rags  in  our  attempt  to  travel 
through  the  brushwood.  His  Lordship, 
IJishop  Seghcrs,  at  one  time  escaped 
being  drowned,  having  slipped  from  a 
rock  in  crossing  a  ravine,  where  the  sea 
swept   in    very    freely   at  high  tide. 

Our  experience  from  Clayoipiot  to 
Ucluliat  had  such  an  effect  on  our  general 
condition  that  it  took  more  than  two 
weeks  for  us  to  recover  our  usual 
strength. 

At  Ucluliat  we  did  nothing,  as  the 
Indians  were  all  away  to  their  salmon 
rivers.  The  young  chief  Wish-Routl 
took  us  to  Lkoul  and  some  Mkoul 
Indians  went  with  us  to  Wannicanut  where 
we  found  the  Indians  under  the  influence 
of  liquor.  We  bajjtized  at  I'.koul  seven 
children  and  a  few  at  Wannicanut. 

Then  we  made  arrangements  with  an 
Ekoul  Indian  to  take  us  to  Wanaimo, 
which  he  promised  to  do  for  six  dollars. 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


21 


u 


A     I'YI'ICAI.    INDIAN    St'KNK,    IIIX.HIAI,    V,.   C, 


the 
>;ilinon 
■  Routl 
i:koul 
where 
UL-nce 
seven 

ith  an 
iiaimo, 
hilars. 


We  had  a  pleasant  trip  up  the  Alberin 
Canal.  Having  left  Kkoul  in  the  morn- 
ing we  arrived  in  the  afternoon  at  (lold 
River,  called  at  the  house  of  the  miners 
but  found  them  absent,  but  as  a  sign  of 
our  passing  there  the  Bishop  wrote  on 
their  door  the  fact  of  our  calling  and 
wishing  them  success.  That  night  we 
were  received  and  made  comfortable  b) 
Mr.  Clark,  who  was  then  manager  of  the 
Johnston  farm.  He  siiowed  some  tine 
horses  of  which  he  had  twenty-two;  also 
some  of  his  cattle,  staling  that  he  had  a 
hundred  and  sixty  head  running  all  over 
the  settlement,  lief^iiles  Mr.  Clark.  Mr. 
Cuglar  was  tlie  only  settler. 

Next  day  we  went  to  visit  the  Opich- 
asat  where  we  were  well  received.  They 
were  then  living  above  the  forks  of  the 
river.  The  Iseshats  were  also  on  the 
river,  but,  i..^  their  chief  had  refused  to  re- 
ceive us  the  day  before,  we  coolly  passed 
them  over. 

Next  day  again  we  commenced  our 
walk  to  (jiialicum.  a  delightful  tri]) 
over  the  newly  made  road.  At  noon 
we  were  at  the  lake,  which  we  crossed  in 
a  canoe,  and  thence  we  walked  to  the 
I'.ast  Coast  side,  where   we   arrived  at  5 

1'.    .M. 


Here  we  pitched  our  tent,  and  on 
Sunday  morning  we  found  a  canoe  in  the 
bush  and  with  paddles  and  a  sail  made 
with  our  tent,  we  travelled  with  great 
speed  to  Wanainio  where  we  were  in  time 
to  hear  the  Protestant  bells  ring  for  eve- 
ning service.  It  hai)pened  that  the 
steamer  F.iinna  was  to  leave  the  next  day 
for  N'ictoria  and  on  her  we  took  ])assage 
arriving  in  \'i(  toria  on  Tuesday  morn- 
ing, at  2  A.  M.  We  went  on  shore  at 
once  and  astonished  every  one  by  arriving 
in  time  to  say  .Mass,  which  for  both  of  us 
was  a  .Mass  of  thanksgiving. 

I'iK-r  Mi--.sioN 

EsTADI.lSIIIJi     iiN      I  UK     W  Ks  r     cdASI'     d!' 
\  AMOCN  i:U    1>I.\N1)  Al     III— (.III  \l. 

.About  the  beginning  of  februars. 
1.SS5.  I  had  just  returned  frcjm  a  mission 
to  Siik:i.  Alaska  Territory,  when  1  was 
notified  by  Right  Rev.  liishoj)  Seghers, 
D.l)..  to  prepare  myself  and  to  be  ie:ulv 
to  go  to  Hesipiiat  and  take  charge  nf  the 
\Ve>t  Coa^t  Indians  in  the  beginning;  of 
the  spring. 

In  conformity  with  this  order  i  got 
everything  in  readiness,  and  a  i  arpentor 
was  hired  by  Ilis  Lordship  at  the  same 
time.       Rev.    I'r.   Roiuleault.  of  (,^>uam- 


22 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


iiilli: 


ill 


ichan,  was  reijiiested  to  accompany  us 
to  Hes(|uiat  and  help  us  to  put  up  the 
Mission  buildings. 

We  left  N'ictoria  on  the  Feast  of 
the  Ascension,  May  6,  at  five  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  on  the  sloop  Thornton, 
owned  by  Captain  Warren  iV  Co.,  and 
commanded  by  Captain  Ceorge  Mrown. 
We  had  on  board  three  little  calves,  one 
bull  and  two  heifers,  which  were  destined 
to  become  the  pioneer  cattle  in  this  part 
of  the  country.  A  young  Newfoundland 
dog  was  to  be  my  only  domestic  com- 
panion after  Noel  Leclaire,  the  car- 
penter, and  Rev.  Fr.  Rondeault  would 
have  linished  the  work  for  which  they 
were  sent.  We  had  rather  a  (piick  pas- 
sage as.  having  left  N'ictoria  on  ihurs- 
day  morning  and  called  and  discharged 
freight  at  Fkoul,  we  arrived  in  Hescjuiat 
harbor  next  Tuesday  afternoon.  Off 
Clayoquot  Sound  we  met  two  Hes(iiiiat 
canoes  on  their  way  to  Victoria,  with 
Matlahaw,  the  chief,  and  his  father,  in 
one  of  them.  .Although  re( [nested  by 
Captain  Brown  to  return  with  us,  and 
offered  a  free  passage  on  the  schooner, 
they  insisted  on  continuing  their  tri])  to 
Victoria. 

.■\fter  casting  anchor  in  the  inner  har- 
bor the  weather  became  very  stormy, 
which  i)revented  us  from  landing  our 
freight  until  Thursday  morning.  We 
had,  however,  put  ashore  our  little  calves 
immediately  u|)on  arriving,  and  when  on 
Thursday  we  walked  over  to  the  Hesquiat 
village  tiiey  followed  us  like  dogs,  some- 
timea  forgetting  themselves  when  amidst 
good  pasture  ground,  and  then  running 
up  to  us  witli  the  utmost  speed. 

There  was  now  ([uestiou  of  selecting 
a  spot  for  our  Mission  buildings.  The 
chief  was  absent,  and  not  an  Indian 
dared  or  was  willing  to  point  a  suit- 
able place  out  to  us.  F^very  one  of  my 
suggestions  was  for  various  reasons  repu- 
diated and  we  owe  to  our  listening  to 
Captain  Brown  the  fact  that  the  Mis- 
sion was  ])Ut  up  where  it  now  stands. 

Our  orders  had  been  to  put  up  a 
church    of  6o\26  ft.    and    a   small  resi- 


dence for  the  priest,  everything  to  be 
done  as  cheaply  as  possible,  as  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  Mission  was  only  an  exper- 
iment: later  on,  say  after  five  years,  if 
the  Mission  was  successful,  more  sub- 
stantial buildings  would  be  put  up. 

In  December  of  the  preceding  year  the 
bark  luhc'in,  Capt.  Hughes,  loaded  with 
lumber  for  Australia,  had  become  water- 
logged in  the  straits,  and  her  freight  hav- 
ing shifted,  she  had  split  open  so  as  to 
make  of  her  a  complete  wreck.  The 
Captain's  wife  now  buried  at  Itloune, 
Hescpiiat  harbor,  had  been  crushed  be- 
tween the  heavy  timbers  and  his  two  little 
boys  washed  overboard  as  well  as  a 
Chinese  cook. 

Ilarly  one  morning  the  Hes(|uiat  In- 
dians saw  the  vessel  with  all  sails  set 
taking  the  direction  of  Idoune  before 
a  south-easterly  wind.  Close  to  the  ves- 
sel was  a  raft  on  which  they  noticed  the 
sailors  trying  to  make  for  shore  and  in 
great  danger  of  being  lost.  Matlahaw, 
the  chief  of  the  tribe,  suggested  the  pro- 
priety of  going  to  the  res(  ue  of  the  drown- 
ing r^en.  Several  canoes  were  launched 
and  off  they  went  over  the  heavy  and 
stormy  waves.  They  succeeded  in  tak- 
ing off  all  the  men.  for  which  Matlahaw 
afterward  received  from  the  Dominion 
Ciovernment  a  silver  medal  and  from 
the  L'nited  States  (lovernment  a  lib- 
eral reward  for  himself  and  the  men  who 
had  given  any  assistance  to  the  shij)- 
wrecked  sailors. 

The  bark  was  now  on  the  beach  to  the 
outside  of  Itloune  point  and  all  the  lum- 
ber, consisting  of  rafters,  heavy  and  light, 
rough  lumber  and  llooring,  was  piled  up 
by  the  sea  a  mile  along  the  seashore.  It 
was  from  the  lumber  of  the  unfortunate 
vessel  that  our  Mission  buildings  were 
constructed.  Captain  Warren  bought  the 
wreck  and  from  him  we  got  almost  all  the 
lumber  reipiired.  Some  Indians  had 
ased  part  to  construct  new  houses,  but 
with  some  trouble  and  reasoning  they 
were  ])revailed  upon  to  let  us  have  the 
use  of  all. 

I  may  here  state  that  the  Indians  had 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


23 


treated  the  sailors  and  captain  of  the  bark 
Ed7L'iit  with  much  kindness.  They  ap- 
pear, however,  to  have  been  a  rough 
crowd.  It  seems  hardly  credible,  still  the 
rescuers  maintain  that  when  they  arrived 
with  their  <  anoes  alongside  ot  tne  raft 
where  most  of  the  men  were  nearly 
perishing  from  cold  and  exposure,  they 
were  told  to  leave  in  his  sad  i)redicament 
one  of  the  (  rew,  to  throw  hmi  overboard; 
no  other  reason  being  given,  as  I  was 
afterwards  told,  but  that  he  was  a  Dutch- 
man. 

Later  they  begin  quarrelling  in  the 
chief's  house,  fought  and  wounded  each 
other  to  such  an  extent  that  they  had  to 
be  se|>arated  and  made  to  lodge  in 
different  houses.  .\s  soon  as  the  weather 
permitted  the  Indians  took  the  ship- 
wrecked men  toClayocpiot  Sound,  whence 
they  reached  I'cluliat  and  from  there 
were  taken  on  one  of  Captain  Spring's 
schooners  to  Victoria. 

Immediately  after  landing,  we  set  to 
work.  We  began  by  building  a  small 
slied,  where  wc  had  our  beds,  our  stove, 
provisions  and  where  we  took  our  meals 
— our  dog  slept  under  the  bed,  and  our 
calves  alongside  the  stove.  I'nder  one  of 
the  beds  we  had  a  barrel  of  beer, 
presented  to  us  by  Stuart  iV  Reast  of 
\'ictoria,and  at  regular  times  the  builders 
were  invited  to  take  a  (  up  of  the  beverage, 
which  they  called  when  the  Indians  were 
l)resent  a  "cuj)  of  tea. " 

.\lthough  this  was  the  best  season  of 
the  year,  the  weather  was  most  unpropi- 
tious,  and  before  long  our  carpenter 
coniplained  of  being  sick;  afterwards  he 
tried  to  make  a  row  and  wiien  told  that 
we  coulil  do  without  him  he  managed  to 
get  better,  but  for  whole  days  together 
we  could  not  get  him  to  speak  a  word. 
I!verything  considered,  the  first  .Mission 
buildings  on  this  coast  were  put  up 
amidst  much  unpleasantness. 

The  first  Mass  was  said  in  tiie  new 
<liurch  on  the  fifth  of  July,  it  being  tiie 
least  of  the  .Most  Precious  lllood.  All 
the  Ilesquiats  were  present;  also,  the 
chief  and  a  crowd  of  Mac  helat  Indians. 


Mass  was  said  by  Rev.  .\     Brabant,  and 
the   sermon   preached  by  Rev.  P.    Ron- 

deault. 

Next  morning  a  canoe  took  Rev.  P. 
Rondeaultand  .\oel  I.eclaire,  the  carpen- 
ter, to  Victoria,  and  I  was  left  alone  in 
this  place  and  in  charge  of  ^11  the  In- 
dians from  I'achina  (included)  to  Cape 
Cook. 

I  soon  discovered  that  the  work  before 
me  was  an  uphill  undertaking,  and,  to 
mention  one  fact  only,  there  was  not 
one  Indiar.  in  Hescjuiat  who  (  ould  act  as 
interpreter.  However,  I  managed  to 
teach  the  tribe  the  "Catholic  Ladder," 
and  I  niaile  up  my  mind  to  study  the 
language,  which  I  found  no  eas)  matter, 
is  I  had  no  books  to  consult  and  there 
was  no  one  who  could  give  me  any 
information  about  it. 

In  the  beginning  of  .\ugust  I  made  a 
trij)  to  the  Chicklifiats  and  other  tribes 
on  the  way.  (luyer,  aClayoquot  Indian, 
a  first-rate  interpreter,  accompanied  me 
and  six  Hescpiiats,  all  full  grown  men,  as 
the  Indians  would  not  allow  their  sons  to 
go  along  for  fear  they  might  be  killed  by 
the  Kyuquots,  who  were  supposed  to  be 
very  badly  disposed  to  their  tribe. 

( luyer,  the  Clayoqiiot  Indian,  had 
some  time  before  this  stabbed  a  man 
belonging  to  IJeechy  Hay,  near  X'ictoria. 
This  man  and  his  wife  were  slaves  in 
Clayoquot  and  belonged  to  Chief 
Sheouse.  'This  last,  fearing  trouble, 
asked  (luyer  to  kill  the  man-slave, 
which  he  did,  stabbing  him  in  the  chest 
with  ail  ordinary  file. 

This  misdeed  weighed  very  heavy  on 
the  mind  of  (luyer,  and,  as  he  told  lue, 
his  reason  for  coming  to  Hes(|uiat  and 
accompanying  me  on  this  trip  was  to 
seek  relief  for  his  mind,  lie  wanted  me 
to  state  tiuit  no  harm  would  hajipen  to 
him  l)v  the  white  men's  police,  and.  as  I 
could  not  do  so,  he  begged  of  uie  to  take 
him,  as  soon  as  convenient,  to  the 
authorities  in  \i(  toria.  The  remorse  of 
conscience  of  that  man,  or  the  dread  of 
retaliation,  was  a  real  suffering  to   him. 

.\t  Nootkawe  found  a  young  woman 


ffT 


!4 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


belonging  to  I'lhattesat,  who  was  sup- 
posed to  be  the  wife  of  onu  of  the 
Nootka  young  men.  She  sent  an  Indian 
to  see  me,  and  wanted  an  interview.  I 
allowed  her  tiie  privilege  slie  asked  for. 
She  told  me  that  she  wanted  to  accom- 
pany lis  to  Khattesat:  that  she  v/oiild  not 
live  witli  the  man  who  choimed  her  as 
his  wife  and  had  been  stolen  by  him  out 
of  a  canoe  against  her  will.  She  had 
been  a  slave  in  Xootka,  and  was  consid- 
ered as  such  again. 

After  considering  these  and  other  rea- 
sons and  hearing  the  opinion  of  some  of 
the  most  inlluential  Nootka  Inilians,  1 
8[ave  her  permission  to  ac(  om])any  us,  and 
the  next  day  she  was  returned  to  her 
friends  and  home. 

lUit  nothing  else  unusual  happened, 
although  at  Kyucpiotwe  were  very  badly 
received,  and  my  Indians,  suspecting 
danger,  slejjt  with  knives  in  their  hands. 
It  was  only  after  much  trouble  that  they 
would  allow  me  to  bapti/e  their  children. 

We  were  abseni  about  two  weeks,  and 
shortly  afterwards  I  received  a  letter 
from  ISishop  Seghcrs  suumioning  me  to 
go  to  Victoria. 

I  left  llescpiiat  about  the  twentieth  of 
Septeniiter  and  arrived  back  on  the 
schooner  .'////'/■Av,  Captain  I'rant  is,  on 
the  fifth  ot  October.  'I'lie  Indians  were 
glad  to  see  me  back.  Ne.xt  da\  Captain 
Warren  entered  the  hariior  on  the  sloop 
Tlionitoii. 

I'pon  landing  I  was  told  that  an  In- 
dian woman,  "a  doctoress."  had  died 
during  my  absence,  after  a  few  days 
sickness. 

Next  I  heard  that  a 
Nootka  Sound  Indians 
that  several  had  died, 
rived  that  the  sickness 
that  the  wiv  '  ;  tribe  was  wild  with  excite- 
ment: th;.  ■-■)■  would  come  to  Hesquiat 
and  kill  as  ,  y  of  the  tribe  as  had  died 
of  the  diseasL.-!  I  spurned  the  threat 
and  i)er>uaded  the  Indians  not  to  be 
uneasy. 

On  the  eighteenth  of  ( )ctober  the 
wife  of   Matlahaw  died   rather  suddenly 


arge  number  of 
were  sick  and 
The  rei)ort  ar- 
was    small  ]iox: 


at  Hesipiiat.  As  I  suspected  that  every- 
thing was  not  right,  I  assembled  the  In- 
dians on  the  hill,  and  told  those  who 
were  living  in  the  chiefs  house  to  iiuit, 
and  also  if  there  was  anybody  else  un- 
well to  come  and  give  me  information. 

Tpon  arriving  home,  I  .'as  met  by 
Charley,  whose  mother  had  died  during 
my  absence.  He  reported  that  his  father 
was  sick.  I  went  to  his  house  and  found 
the  old  man  very  sick,  evidently  with 
small-pox.  He  was  lying  in  one  c  orner 
of  the  room  and  in  the  other  corner  was 
his  sister,  an  elderly  woman,  also  in  the 
last  stages  of  the  fatal  disease.  1  baptized 
both  of  them,  saw  them  well  provided 
with  food  and  water,  and  went  home  con- 
vinced that  a  very  trying  time  was  before 
me. 

I  was  not  disappointed,  for  next  morn- 
ing tlie  first  news  I  heard  was  that  both 
were  dead  and  that  others  had  taken  sick. 

As  soon  as  Mass  was  over,  a  large 
number  of  Indians  came  to  my  house, 
and  I  made  preparations  to  have  the 
dead  buried.  I  went  and  tlug  two  graves, 
but  when  the  time  for  the  funeral  had 
arrived  no  one  would  help  me  take  away 
the  corpses.  I  reasoned  and  entreated 
my  visitors  to  give  me  a  hand,  but  all  to 
no  purpose.  .\t  last  after  several  hours 
talking,  a  Ca]ie  Idattery  Indian  living 
here  with  his  Hesipiiat  wife  volunteered. 
Others  followed  his  exam|)Ie,  and  I  mus- 
tered a  force  of  ten  to  do  the  burying  of 
the  dead.  Never  was  such  a  funeral 
seen  l.^y  mortal  man!  First  I  had  to  give 
medicine  to  everyone  of  them.  As  I 
had  none  I  boiled  water,  broke  some 
biscuits  in  it.  sweetened  the  whole  with 
sugar,  and  insisted  that  this  would  be 
the  very  iiest  jircservative  in  the  world 
against  small-pox. 

Then  began  the  mar(h.  I  led  the  pro- 
cession, then  (  ame  the  ten  Indians  in  a 
line,  with  their  faces  blackened  and  cover- 
ed witli  Indian  charms.  They  were  shout- 
ing and  jumiiing,  and  when  we  came  to 
the  house  where  the  dead  were,  not  one 
dared  to  ( ome  in  and  assist  me.  lUit 
the  Cajie  I'iattery  Indian  again  gavean  ex- 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions, 


25 


ample  ot  bravery.  He  was  accompanied 
by  Charley's  lather  in-law  and  Charley 
himself.  The  cottin  was  a  small  Indian 
canoe,  to  which  was  attached  about 
forty  feet  of  rope.  We  took  u\)  the  old 
man  first  ;  he  presented;,  .ghastly  sij;ht  as 
the  blood  and  bloody  matter  were  cover- 
ing his  face  antl  streaming  out  of  his 
month.  The  woman  was  (  overed  with 
two  new  black  blankets,  and  had  evi- 
dently died  first,  her  brother  having 
rendered  to  his  dead  sister  the  jiious  duty 
of  clothing  the  corpse  :  she  was  i)Ut  into 
the  same  canoe  antl  then  orders  were 
given  to  take  hold  of  the  lines.  livery- 
one  wanted  to  take  the  very  end,  but 
after  some  confusion  the  canoe  was 
pulled  out  of  the  house,  I  acting  as  steers- 
man, and  thence  a  good  distance  into 
the  bush  .And  after  securely  covering 
the  original  coffin  with  Indian  planks, 
we  all  returned  to  my  house. 

Hefore  entering,  the  Indians  all  rushed 
into  the  river  praying  and  shouting  ;  and 
having    thrown    away     their     blankets. 


whi(  h  were  their  only  covering,  they  next 
came  in  every  one  of  them  as  naked  as 
the  moment  he  had  been  born.  Some 
thoughtful  woman,  after  some  time, 
came  with  a  sujjply  of  blankets  and  then 
the  spectacle  became  rather  more 
decent  and  res])e(:table. 

r.ut  now  another  scene  was  enacted — 
as  they  had  noticed  that  I  was  chewing 
tobacco  ui)on  going  to  bury  the  dead, 
they  had  insisted  upon  doing  the  same 
thing,  and  not  being  accustomed  to  that 
polite  i)ractiie,  the\'  had  swallowed  all 
the  tobacco  juice.  Some  of  them  in 
conseiiuence  came  near  dying,  as  it  took 
them  many  hours  before  they  got  over 
their  vomiting. 

Next  day  I  went  to  see  the  chief's 
daughter,  who  was  very  low  also  with 
small  pox.  She  was  a  courageous  woman 
and  did  not  give  up  till  she  was  (piite  blind 
and  her  head  as  black  and  as  thick  as  a 
large  iron  pot.  She  was  baptized  and 
seemed  to  be  in  the  best  disposition. 
Her  own  father  and  another  old    Indian 


, 


i 


n 


[iro- 

in  a 

)ver- 

lOUt- 

le  to 
one 

r.ut 

Lnex- 


INi'lANN    n|.     hIMI.KI.Nl      IKII;!-. — vMl.iM;-,    I  K' 'M    //.    .1/.   .V.     />',n,r. 


36 


X'^ancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


"  ' 


r  ii:i 


helped  nie  to  bury  her.  The  sight  of 
the  corpse  was  simply  horrible,  and  as  we 
left  the  shanty  in  which  she  died  swarms 
of  flies  surrounded  us  all. 

At  this  time  Matlahaw,  the  Hes(|uiat 
chief,  his  father  Cownissim,  Omerak  and 
Charley  had  obtained  permission  to  sleep 
in  the  Indian  room  of  my  house.  L'pon 
according  this  jirivilege,  Matlahaw  jirom- 
ised  and  gave  me  all  the  strip  of  land 
between  the  river  and  the  beach. 

I  passed  most  of  my  time  in  vaccinat- 
ing the  Indians  and  in  trying  to  cheer 
them  up,  for  the  fear  and  discourage- 
ment in  some  cases  were  altogether  alarm- 
ing. Matlahaw  and  Charley  were  hard- 
ly alive.  Hence  they  would  sit  for  hours 
together,  telling  me  of  the  importance 
of  their  lives  and  insisting  upon  my  us- 
ing all  possible  means  to  preserve  them 
from  the  disease.  Charley  had  been 
vaccinated  successfully  in  X'ictoria,  but 
although  1  tried  it  twice  on  Matlahaw 
the  vaccine  had  no  effect.  I'his  seemed 
to  increase  his  fear.  He  now  became 
morose  and  avoided  the  company  of  his 
friends;  in  fact  he  was  not  to  be  seen  in 
the  daytime  for  several  days. 

We  used  to  be  up  before  daylight  and 
for  two  or  three  mornings,  as  I  got  uj), 
upon  looking  through  my  window  1 
noticed  him  sitting  alongside  ol  his  father 
apparently  engaged  with  him  in  very  se- 
cret conversation. 

On  the  twenty-seventh  of  October  he 
shot  some  blue  ja,  s  on  my  potato  jjatch, 
and  the  rest  of  the  time  he  stood  outside, 
watching  my  movements,  and  from  time 
to  time  exchanging  a  few  words  with  the 
Indians  who  were  constantly  about  my 
house. 

Towards  evening  the  rejiort  that  an  In- 
dii."  woman  was  very  sick  was  received. 
I  went  to  see  her,  hut  noticed  that  her 
case  was  not  very  serious  as  yet.  How- 
ever, next  morning  the  first  thing 
I  did  upon  getting  up  was  to  go  and  see 
the  old  woman,  who  was  if  anything 
rather  better  than  the  day  before. 

Upon  entering  my  house  and  about  to 
go  and  ring  the  bell    for  Mass,  Matlahaw 


came  into  my  house  and  asked  me  for 
the  loan  of  my  gun,  whi(  h  upon  handing 
to  him  I  stated  to  be  unloaded.  He 
simply  remarked  tlvat  he  had  jjowder  and 
shot  in  his  shanty,  which  was  made  of  a 
few  Indian  planks  and  which  with  my 
permission  he  had  constructed  behind 
my  little  barn. 

.\ll  the  Indians  of  the  tribe,  save  the 
old  woman  who  had  sniall-po.\  and  Mat- 
lahaw and  his  father,  were  at  Mass. 
The  old  man  was  missed  at  once,  and 
afterwards  it  was  found  out  that  he  had 
crossed  the  hay  with  his  little  grand- 
child and  gone  up  Sidney  Inlet,  where 
his  wife  had  gone  before  him.  There 
she  died  of  small-po.\,  as  also  her  female 
slave;  and  the  old  chief,  in  a  fit  of  pas- 
sion, took  a  stone  and  with  it  killed  the 
husband  and  one  old  slave. 

When  the  Mass  was  over,  and  just 
as  I  was  about  finishing  my  breakfast, 
Charley  came  into  my  room  and  said, 
"  Look  out,  Leilet  ;  Matlahaw  is  sick. 
Vou  had  better  take  your  gun  from  him. " 

I  made  one  or  two  inquiries,  and 
after  saying  a  tew  words  jokingly,  to 
give  heart  and  courage  to  the  messenger, 
who  looked  alarr.iingly  excited  or  down- 
hearted, I  went  out,  my  pipe  in  my 
mouth,  to  see  the  would  be  patient. 
When  I  arrived  inside  of  his  shanty  I 
noticed  in  thf;  middle  a  small  fire,  before 
which  he  w^a  S(iuatting  down.  He  had 
his  chief's  cap  and  also  the  coat  pre- 
sented by  the  Superintendent  of  Indian 
Affairs.  Hehind  him,  against  the  wall, 
stood  my  double  barrelled  gun  and  an 
Indian  musket.  I  asked  what  the  matter 
was,  when,  smilingly,  he  looked  up,  and 
pulling  the  skin  of  his  leg,  he  answered, 
"  Memeloust — smallpox."  I  reassured 
him,  saying  that  I  would  give  him  medi- 
cine and  that  by  evening  he  would  be  all 
right.  .Again  he  looked  up,  his  face 
being  very  pale  and  the  sinews  of  his 
cheeks  trembling,  and  i)ulling  at  the  skin 
of  his  throat  he  repeated  memeloust. 
Once  more  1  repeated  that  1  would  give 
him  medicine  and  that  he  would  be  well 
before  eveninic. 


X'ancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


37 


'I'hen  I  asked  him  to  hand  me  over 
my  gun,  which  lie  took  without  getting 
up;  then  pointing  it  towards  me  he  ex- 
plained, as  1  understood,  that  one  of 
the  l)arrels  was  not  loaded.  The  tact 
of  the  muzzle  of  the  gun  being  pointed 
straight  to  my  face  and  noticing  caps  on 
both  nijjjiles  and  the  cocks  pulled  up; 
caused  me  instinctively  to  turn  away  my 
head,  when  lo  1  the  explosion  took  place 
and  I  noticed  the  blood  spurting  from 
my  hand.  The  smoke  was  so  thick  that 
I  could  not  see  the  would  be  murderer, 
and  thinking  the  whole  affair  to  be  an 
accident,  after  calmly  remarking  that  1 
was  shot  in  the  hand,  I  walked  down  to 
the  little  river  where  I  bowed  down  to 
bathe  my  wounds  in  the  stream.  Just 
then  he  shot  again,  this  time  hitting  me 
in  the  right  shoulder  and  all  over  my 
back. 

I  now  knew  the  man  wanted  to  kill 
me  and  1  ran  off  to  my  house,  where  I 
found  no  one.  Thence  I  ran  to  the 
ranch  and  was  met  by  nearly  all  the  men 
of  the  tribe,  to  whom  1  told  what  had 
happened.  Some  of  them  pretended 
that  Meowchal  Indians  had  done  the 
shooting,  but  after  my  stating  again  and 
again  that  it  was  Matlahaw  they  be- 
came convinced  that  he  indeed  was  the 
guilty  party.  After  a  few  moments  a 
film  came  over  my  eyes  and  thinking 
that  I  would  not  survive,  1  knelt  down 
and  said  my  acts  of  faith,  hope,  charity 
and  contrition  ;  then  I  got  up,  went  to 
my  house  and  wrote  on  a  jjiece  of  pai)er 
the  name  of  the  man  who  had  shot  me, 
])ut  the  pajier  in  my  bureau,  locked  it 
and  put  the  key  into  my  pocket.  Hy 
this  time  the  noise  and  alarm  outside  of 
my  house  was  deafening  :  the  loyal  men 
of  the  tribe  were  there  with  axes  and 
guns  to  kill  the  chief,  but  he  had  run 
away  into  the  hush,  not  having  been 
seen  after  the  shooting,  save  by  an  old 
woman. 

Meanwhile  I  had  been  divested  by 
some  savages  of  my  coat  and  under- 
clothing. The  Intlians,  upon  noticing 
the   blood,  lost  courage  and    one    after 


the  other  walking  out  of  the  room, 
announced  to  their  friends  that  I  was 
dying.  'I'his  was  also  my  opinion, 
although  I  felt  no  pain  whatever  either 
in  the  hand  or  the  back.  Then  1  lay 
down  and  ordered  cold  dressing  to  be 
l)laced  over  my  wounds.  I  noticed 
very  little  of  what  was  going  on,  think- 
ing that  the  best  thing  1  couKl  do  was  to 
pray  and  prepare  myself  to  die. 

Ilarly  the  next  day  ( ( )ct.  29  »  two  ca- 
noes fully  manned  left  Uesipiiat.  The 
first  went  to  Refuge  (love,  where  the  sis- 
ter of  Matlahaw,  the  would  be  murderer, 
was  residing  with  her  Indian  husband. 
The  Indians,  excited  over  the  doings  of 
her  brother,  the  chief,  had  decided  to 
bring  her  home.  In  due  time  the  canoe 
came  back  and  the  girl  was  land- 
ed on  the  beach  before  my  house. 
She  knew  not  what  was  in  store 
for  her.  She  knew  not  that  as  she 
was  left  there  alone,  crying,  the  Indians 
were  plotting  her  death  in  expiation  of 
what  her  brother  had  done  to  me.  Such, 
however,  was  the  case  ;  when  the  plan 
was  well  prejjared  an  elderly  man  came 
rushing  into  my  house  where  I  lay  on 
my  bed  expecting  that  my  days  were 
numbered,  owing  to  the  dangerous  state 
of  my  wounds.  He  wanted  to  have  my 
opinion:  the  Indians  were  going  to  kill 
her.  As  the  savage  spoke  his  hair  stood 
on  end,  froth  was  on  his  lips  and  his 
members  trembled  with  excitement  I 
gave  orders  to  have  the  young  woman 
removed  to  a  place  of  safety,  to  have  her 
taken  proper  care  of  and  appointed  one 
of  the  chiefs,  a  relative  of  hers,  t(-  act  as 
her  guardian  during  the  time  of  unusual 
excitement. 

The  other  canoe  came  back  next  day. 
She  had  gone  to  (Mayoquot  where  a  man 
(Ned  Thornberg  1  had  charge  of  a  small 
trading  post.  'I'his  man  was  living  with 
an  Indian  woman  and  when  the  Indians 
with  the  message  called  at  his  plac  e  he 
met  them  with  a  Murray  ritle  and  would 
not  allow  them  inside  until  he  was  fully 
convinced  that  his  visitors  were  Hesipiiat 
Indians.    .\s   his    neighbors,  that   is    the 


f^ 


28 


\  ancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


Indians  of  Clayoiiuot  and  Clayo(iuot 
Sound,  were  not  to  be  trusted,  he  advised 
thi'  Hesijuiats  to  avail  themselves  of  the 
darkness  of  the  ni^ht  to  return  to  their 
homes,  and  with  his  compliments  and 
condolence  sent  a  number  of  yards  of 
calico  to  be  used  by  the  Indians  as  a 
shroud  for  my  "  corpse!" 

()n\oveml)er  i  (Monday  at  noon), 
a  deputation  of  Indians  excitedly  entered 
my  house  and  told  me  that  they  were 
goin;,'  to  send  a  canoe  with  the  news  of 
my  state  to  Victoria,  and  report  to  the 
Uishop  and  the  police. 

I  told  them  ipiietly  to  please  them- 
selves, but  as  they  were  determined  to 
leave  at  once  I  gave  them  a  paperon  which 
I  had  every  morning  written  a  few  words. 

Meanwhile  my  wounds  became  more 
and  more  inllamed.  The  Indians  were 
up  with  me  day  and  night  constantly 
pouring  cold  water  over  my  injured  hand. 
The  wounds  in  my  back  and  side  gave 
me  great  pain  from  the  fact  that  I  had  to 
lie  on  them  and  that  they  could  not  be 
reached  by  cold  water  dressings. 

As  the  hours  and  days  advanced  the 
swelling  increased  and  inflammation  was 
rapidly  gaining.  I  was  trembling  with  cold 
although  the  Indians  kept  up  a  good  fire. 

At  last,  on  'Tuesday,  the  9th,  just  as  it 
was  getting  dark, an  Indian  out  of  breath 
ran  into  my  house  and  shouted  that  a 
man-ot-war  was  entering  the  harbor  1 

I  cannot  describe  my  feelings  and  those 
of  the  poor  Indians  who  were  in  my 
room  and  acted  as  nurses.  .  .  .  Half  an 
hour  later  one  of  the  doctors  (  Dr.  Wal- 
kem )  who  had  volunteered  to  cone 
to  my  assistance,  rushed  into  my  room 
and  after  examining  my  hand  expressed 
his  opinion  that  it  could  not  be  saved 
and  that  I  would  have  to  submit  to  am- 
putation. By  that  time  Bishop  Seghers, 
Ciod  bless  him,  had  also  come  in.  I  can 
see  him  now,  a  picture  of  sadness.  With 
tears  in  his  eyes  he  told  me  how  happy 
he  felt  to  find  me  alive.  ...  I  could 
hardly  utter  a  word  1  My  strength  was 
gone,  for  I  had  not  tasted  food  or  drink 
for  several  days. 


The  Bishop  went  into  my  bed  room, 
opened  a  bottle  of  port  wine  and 
gave  me  a  full  ciose  of  the  medicine  as  he 
called  it  in  the  presence  of  the  na- 
tives and  lo!  my  strength  and  courage 
came  back  at  once.  I  told  them  of  the 
details  of  my  situation  since  1  had  seen 
him  a  month  before  in  Victoria. 

The  doctor  of  the  navy  (  Dr.  Redfern) 
after  thoroughly  examining  my  wounds, 
declared  that  nothing  could  be  done  at 
])resent:  that  I  would  have  to  go  to  the 
hospital  in  N'ictoria,  etc.,  and  urged 
upon  me  the  i)ropriety  of  taking  some 
food.  He  then  cooked  a  meal  and  al- 
though everything  waspre])artd  in  an  ar- 
tistic shape  I  could  not  take  more  than 
one  or  two  mouthfuls  of  his  i)reparation. 

Next  morning  the  captain  of  H.  M.  S. 
A'oikct  {  Captain  Harris  )  came  on  shore 
and  proposed  to  have  the  would-be  mur- 
derer arrested.  In  fact  he  stated  that  it 
was  part  of  his  object  incoming  to  Hes- 
ipiiat.  But  just  then  an  Indian  came 
into  my  house  with  the  news  of  new  cases 
of  small-pox,  and  expressing  his  uneasi- 
ness and  that  of  his  Indian  friends  to  be 
left  alone  with  the  dread  disease  in  the 
village.  Happily,  Captain  Harris  did  not 
understand  the  messenger  and  so  we 
urged  upon  him  the  necessity  of  return- 
ing to  \'ictoria,  as  the  doctors  insisted 
that  my  wounds  would  have  to  be  attend- 
ed to  without  further  delay. 

Besides,  I  told  him  that  the  man  who 
had  shot  mc  had  run  away  into  the  bush 
— that  he  had  not  been  seen  since  and 
that  he  might  be  ten  or  twenty  miles 
away  in  the  mountains. 

An  arrangement  was  then  made  with 
the  principal  men  of  the  tribe  that  they 
were  to  take  to  N'ictoria  the  Chief  Mat- 
lahaw  in  case  he  could  be  arrested  and 
that  the  provincial  police  would  pay  them 
for  their  trouble  the  sum  of  Si 00  and  a 
supply  of  provisions. 

Thereupon  arrangements  were  made 
to  have  me  conveyed  on  board  of  the 
man-of-war.  lOight  men  placed  mc  on  a 
cot,  took  me  down  to  the  beach  between 
two   lines  of  Indians,  whilst  one  of  the 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


29 


iHF.SfjlIAI',  I!.  C.  —  I.  A  CATHOLIC  lAMII.V. —  2.  I'HK  VolM;  CIIII-.I  (l|  llIK  IRlllK,  HIS  AIM, 
AND  TWO  CIlll.llRKN.— ,?,  THE  ITRST  CATHOLIC  FAMILY  ON  LHK  COAST. — 4.  CAI  lloLlC 
MOTHKR   AND   SON. —5.   CATHOLIC    FAMILY.       LHK    FAIHKK   CAN    KKAU   AND    WRITE. 


I^' 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


30 

chiefs     made     a 

speech      regretting 

what  had  occurred 

and  bespealcing  the 

spet'dy     return    of 

"their  I'riest." 
When  we  arrived 

at    the   vessel    the 

cot  was  slung  from 

the  spanker- boom, 

an    awning    was 

stretched  over  the 

whole,   and  I    was 

made    to    feel     as 

comfortable  as  pos 

sible  under  the  cir- 
cumstances. 

We  arrived  inVic- 
toria  next  morning. 
At  the  time  of  our  landing  an  immense 
crowd  of  people  were  on  the  wharves. 
The  city  was  indeed  in  great  excitement, 
for  the  news  had  just  reached  the  people 
that  the  steamship  Pacific  with  260  pas- 
sengers— (piite  a  number  of  Victorians — 
had  foundered  at  sea  and  that  thus  far 
only  one  passenger  had  reached  shore 
alive.  As  we  came  from  the  very  coast 
where  the  wreck  had  taken  place,  and  as 
it  had  happened  just  a  day  before,  the 
people  were  all  in  hopes  that  a  number 
might  have  been  picked  up  at  sea.  W^e 
had  seen  nothing  of  the  wreck,  and  the 
crowd,  looking  for  friends  and  good 
news,  were  doomed  to  return  home  dis- 
appointed. 

The  same  men  who  had  taken  me  in 
a  cot  on  the  man-of-war  carried  me  on 
their  shoulders  from  the  vessel  to  the 
Bishop's  residence,  at'd  then  landed  me 
on  a  table  in  the  dining-room.  That 
room, — where  I  had  passed  so  many 
pleasant  hours  with  Bishop  Demers  and 
Bisho])  Seghers,  his  successor,  and  my 
colleagues,  the  priests  of  the  diocese  and 
especially  of  the  Cathedral, — now  looked 
gloomy.  I'-veryone  wanted  to  have  a 
look  and  say  a  good  word.  The  Sisters 
of  St.  Ann  were  there  also  well  repre- 
sented. Warm  water,  towels,  linen  and 
other  necessary  articles   were  prepared 


A    (iROCP   Ol'    INDIAN     \Vt>MKN,   Al'    NOUIKA 


by  them,  and  the  doctors,  four  in  num- 
ber, began  to  talk  business. 

'I'hey  were  going  to  amputate  the 
hand  !  Yes  !  perhaps  it  would  do  to 
amputate  only  the  two  first  fingers  !  \ 
Such  and  other  remarks  I  heard  them 
make.  However,  I  was  not  going  to 
part  with  those  necessary  members  of  a 
priest's  body  to  allow  him  to  say  Mass, 
without  an  objection  !  And  object  I 
did  !  And  asked  them  to  allow  me  to 
die  rather  than  have  me  become  a  use- 
less man  in  the  world,  such  as  a  priest 
would  be  if  he  cannot  say  Mass.  I'rot- 
estants  as  they  were,  the  doctors,  at  first, 
did  not  understand  my  reiterated  plead - 
ingr>  to  be  allowed  to  keep  my  hand  and 
fingers.  However,  they  concluded  to 
wait  a  couple  of  days  and  for  liu?  time 
being  agreed  among  then;selvt's  !;o  cut 
open  the  main  ulcers,  r!„i;ijve  the 
broken  bones  and  cut  out  pieces  of  lead 
and  other  foreign  matter. 

They  all  left  me  with  the  expectation 
of  returning  a  couple  of  days  later  to 
perform  the  amputation  ;  but  prayer  had 
the  best  of  them.  Two  days  later  one 
of  the  doctors  made  his  usual  call,  and 
seeing  that  the  blood  began  again  to  cir- 
culate he  could  not  conceal  his  astonish- 
ment and  went  away  wondering  how  this 
unexpected  change  could  have  occurred. 


X'ancoiiver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


31 


I  was  in  the  doctors'  hands  for  nearly 
five  months.  I  then  heard  that  a 
schooner  was  advertised  to  go  out  seal- 
ing to  the  West  Coast,  and  foreseeing 
that  no  other  opportunity  to  return  to 
my  mission  would  oiler  for  the  next  six 
months,  I  asked  for  a  passage  on  board 
and  returned  to  my  mission  in  Hes(iuiat 
on  March  2,?,  1876. 

I  arrived  in  Hes(iuiat  on  April  5th. 
'The  Indians  ha  ng  learned  that  I  was 
on  my  way  back  to  the  Mission,  and 
understanding  that  the  vessel  on  which  i 
had  embarked  would  not  come  as  far  as 
their  village,  sent  a  canoe  with  nine  men 
to  meet  me  and  take  me  home.  I  met 
them  at  "Asatikis,"  about  twenty  miles 
from  the  Mission.  On  our  way  we 
called  at  (Maktosis)  Ahousat  and  bap- 
tized the  newly  born  children;  next  day 
we  arrived  in  Hescjuiat. 

My  house  was  in  the  state  I  had  left 
it — the  floor  covered  with  blood,  the 
temporary  bunk  which  I  had  caused  to 
be  put  up  in  my  sitting-room  so  as  to 
have  more  space  to  move  about  with 
water,  dressings,  etc.,  was  still  there; 
everything  reminded  me  of  sad  days  and 
sleepless  nights.  It  all  had  a  tendency 
to  make  one  feel  downhearted,  but  the 
Indians  were  then  so  happy  to  see  me 
back  that  I  put  aside  all  other  thoughts, 
and  after  a  few  days'  cleaning,  settling 
down  again,  I  recommenced  my  work 
where  I  had  left  it  off. 

On  Easier  Sunday  I  established  a  force 
of  policemen.  The  occasion  had  been 
furnished  by  the  Indians  themselves. 
They  had  resolved  to  have  a  feast  in  my 
honor  and  to  [jresent  me  with  a  gift  of 
their  own  as  a  sign  of  their  good  feelings 
towards  me.  True  enough,  the  day  was 
appointed  and  two  influential  men  of  the 
tribe  were  delegated  to  come  and  invite 
me.  The  men  were  dressed  up  in  red 
blankets  over  their  red  skins,  pants  and 
shirts  being  an  unknown  article  to  men 
of  their  class;  their  faces  were  covered 
with  black  and  red  paint,  and  down  of 
birds  covered  their  heads  and  their  long 
hair.     They  rather  shouted  than  spoke, 


at    the  same  time  giving  vent  to  wild, 
savage  gesticulations. 

And  so  I  went  to  the  feast,  which  was 
given  in  one  of  the  houses  of  a  chief. 
As  there  were  no  chairs  in  the  village  a 
thoughtful  savage  took  one  of  my  own 
and  placed  it  in  the  middle  of  the  im- 
mense building. 

'I'here  I  sat  like  an  Indian  chief, 
calmly  smoking  my  pipe  and  pretending 
to  enjoy  everything  that  was  going  on. 
There  were  dancing  and  shouting  and 
gesticulations  and  many  other  extrava- 
gant things,  which  no  one  can  fancy  who 
has  not  seen  wild  men  and  women, 
covered  with  feathers  and  with  painted 
cheeks,giving  free  expression  to  the  feel- 
ings of  their  savage  heart  and  nature. 
That  sort  of  thing  lasted  for  about  two 
hours,  and  being  nearly  blind  with  the 
smoke  of  the  camp-fires  and  as  nearly 
deaf  with  the  noise  made  by  the  women, 
as  they  beat  with  sticks  on  planks  and 
Indian  boxes  to  the  measure  of  the 
songs  of  the  men  and  boys  and  the 
younger  class  of  women, I  was  anxious  to 
go  home  and  enjoy  fresh  air  and  peace. 
Mut  what  should  happen  ?  There  in  a 
corner  got  up  one  of  the  chiefs  and  tak- 
ing a  shawl  from  a  woman's  shoulders 
held  it  open  in  view  ot  the  whole 
tribe  and  looking  at  me  as  with 
an  angry  countenance  he  called  out, 
'\I.ctIft :  Li'tlct:)  Priest  !  Priest  \  this  is 
for  you,  this  is  for  you  1  I  present  it  to 
you  in  the  name  of  the  tribe  of  the  Hes- 
(|uiats,  who  are  all  present  here  to  do 
honor  to  you  ."' 

I  do  nc>t  know  what  anybody  else 
would  have  done  ;  as  for  me,  I  took  the 
shawl  and  thanked  the  tribe  and  went 
home.  Hut  scarcely  had  I  reached  my 
house  when  I  began  to  reflect  and  ask  of 
myself,  "  What  in  the  world  shall  I  do 
with  that  shawl?"  After  Mature  reflec- 
tion, I  hit  upon  a  plan  to  get  rid  of  it. 

Easter  Sunday  arrived  and,  as  said 
al)ove,  I  established  a  force  of  Indian 
policemen,  as  asked  for  by  the  Indians 
themselves  and  approved  by  the  Bishop. 
Having  then  carefully  selected  my  men 


i;|li> 
M 


i. 


32 


X'ancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


I  proceeded  between  hi\Ljh  Mass  and  eve- 
ning service  to  the  house  of  one  of  the 
chiefs  where  the  whole  tribe,  were 
assembled.  I  explained  to  them  the 
object  of  the  meeting:  then  I  appointed 
three  men  to  act  as  Indian  constables, 
and  gave  each  of  them  a  coat  and  pants, 
to  distinguish  them  from  other  savages 
and  as  a  mark  of  their  authority,  'ihen 
taking  the  shawl,  I  held  it  up  before 
the  tribe  and  made  a  present  of  it  to 
the  woman,  who  took  care  ot  the  orjihan 
bov  of  the  man,  who  had  tried  to  kill  me. 
The  new  policemen  were  then  api)ointed 
guardians  of  the  future  chief  of  the  Hes- 
(juiats  I  availed  myself  of  this  season 
of  fervor  to  teach  them  the  "Catholic 
Ladder"  of  Father  Lacombe.  I  also 
taught  them  to  sing  Mass  in  plain  chant. 

We  had  the  first  high  Mass  on  the 
Feast  of  the  Patronage  of  St.  Joseph. 

On  June  5  following,  there  was  unusual 
excitement  in  the  village.  Farly  in  the 
morning  the  news  is  brought  that  a  dead 
whale  is  floating  off  the  harbor.  There 
is  shouting  and  running  about  ;  paddles 
are  got  ready  and  all  the  large  canoes 
pulled  down  to  the  beach.  Not  an  able- 
bodied  man  is  left  on  shore  ;  even  a 
nunil)er  of  women  accompany  the  crowd. 
Vou  can  see  the  excitement  at  sea,  you 
can  hear  the  shouting  and  singing  as  the 
monster  of  the  deep  is  being  towed 
toward  the  shore.  At  last  shore  is 
reached.  The  men  stand  up  in  their 
canoes,  paddles  in  hands, and  intone  one 
of  their  old  songs.  .  .  .  The  women 
on  shore  stand  alongside  the  houses,  and 
taking  part  in  the  general  rejoicings, beat 
a  measure  on  the  sides  of  the  dwellings 
and  their  old  Indian  drums. 

.\s  the  day  is  well  advanced,  it  is  de- 
cided that  the  cutting  up  of  the  whale 
shall  be  postponed  till  next  morning. 
Meanwhile  knives  are  i)rei)ared.  and  the 
chiefs  and  principal  men,  who  alone  are 
entitled  to  a  share  of  the  big  fish,  secure 
a  number  of  inferior  men  to  give  them  a 
hand  next  day. 

June  6. — I'Ong  before  daylight  the 
whale   is   surrounded  by  half  naked  In- 


dians; they  all  know  the  share  they  have 
a  right  to,  but  not  one  seems  satisfied 
with  what  belongs  to  him — there  is  no 
end  of  (juarrelingand  pushing  each  other 
about.  In  the  disturbance  a  couple  are 
wounded— one  very  seriously.  After  half 
a  day  of  fighting  and  general  disturb- 
ance, the  whale  being  cut  u]),  the  Indians 
all  retire  to  their  houses,  happy  at  tiie 
l)rospect  of  enjoying  the  delicacies  ot 
whi\le  blubber  and  whale  oil  for  the  next 
few  months. 

June  7.  —  In  the  heat  of  their  happiness 
the  chiefs  decide  to  go  to  Ahousat  and 
invite  their  friends  of  that  tribe  to  come 
and  have  a  share  in  the  general  festivities. 

June  10. — Three  .\housat  canoes  arrive 
in  Hes(iuiat,  in  all  twenty-two  men.  All 
the  Indians  assemble  to  receive  their 
guests  on  the  beach;  they  walk  in  proces- 
sion, one  man  behind  the  other,  in  white 
man's  clothes,  save  two,  whose  heads 
are  covered  with  feathers,  and  who  dance 
the  dances  usual  on  such  occasions. 
Meanwhile  the  .\housats,  appreciating 
the  compliment,  rise  in  their  canoes,  be- 
gin to  beat  a  measure  on  the  sides  of  the 
canoes  and  sing  a  song  in  resi)onse  to  a 
speech  made  by  one  of  the  Hesquiats. 

It  all  finishes  by  the  pulling  up  of  the 
canoes  of  the  visitors  and  leading  them 
into  the  house  of  one  of  the  chiefs,  who 
at  once  entertains  them  at  a  meal  of 
"  whale  meat." 

The  accidental  floating  on  shore  of 
this  whale  and  the  importance  which  the 
Indians  attach  to  this  event  had  caused 
them  to  talk  a  great  deal  about  the  sub- 
ject. Apropos  of  this  event,  let  me  give  a 
notion  of  their  superstitions  on  this 
point. 

.\  few  months  ago  an  old  Indian  chiei 
called  "  Koninnah,"  and  known  all 
along  the  coast,  died  in  IIes([uiat.  This 
man  enjoyed  the  reputation  of  bringing 
dead  whales,  almost  at  will,  to  the  shore 
of  the  Hes(iuiat  laiul,  and  even  now  he 
gets  the  credit  for  tiie  whale  that  floated 
on  shore  yesterday.  For  as  the  Indians 
say  that  their  chiefs  do  not  forget  their 
friends  and  subjects  when  they  reach  the 


j 

* 


I 


iu 


Vancouver  Islaiul  ami  Its  Missions. 


.r. 


other  world,  hence  Kuninnali,  by  his 
influence,  sent  tliem  "  a  dead  whale  "  as 
a  token  of  ^'ood  will. 

'I'his  man.  1  am  told,  had  here  in  the 
bush  a  small  house  made  of  cedar  planks; 
to  this  house  he  would  repair  from  time 
to  time  to  \  isit  his  charms,  which  it  con 
tained,  and  ljo  through  his  usual  devo- 
tions, prayers  and  incantations.  His 
charms  mostly  consisted  of  human  skele- 
tons, especially  those  of  ancient  chiefs 
and  (anions  hunters. 
W)  these  skeletons 
he  would  speak  as  if 
they  were  alive  and 
ordtr  them  to  i;ive 
him  a  '•  whale." 
Kach  of  the  skele- 
tons had  its  turn,  .nnd 
in  addressin<,'  him 
self  to  them  he  would 
gi\'e  due  (  reilit  to 
those  of  their  num- 
ber who,  he  had  rea 
son  Id  suspei:t,  had 
been  granting  his 
reiiuesl. 

It  is  narrated  lliat 
Koniniiah  one  da}' 
was  boaslinji  of  (  ans- 
inu  a  (le.ul  wh.\le  tn 
strand  ill  ilesipuat 
harl)iir.  .\>  it  hap- 
pened. tliL  ilesli  w.is 
t(>UL;h  anil  liie  oil 
iidt  sweet  liie  In 
dians  rmdiui,'  fault 
with  their  supposed 
good    lui  k.    he    iDJd 

them  that  lie  would  .u.M  aiiotluT  one  tor 
them  of  better  i|nalii\  .  when  lo  '.  a 
(■ou|>le  of  da\s  later  hi-  juedi' tion  uas 
verifieil. 

The  Indians  tell  tl  ':  .uiis  wiiii  such 
conviction  of  truth  lli.it  it  is  almost  jiain- 
ful  to  have  lo  ( otitradict  them. 

Koninnah.  when  desirous  to  he  sik  - 
cessful.  leil  a  life  of  strict  (ontineiKC. 
lie  a'so  observed  laws  of  lastiii-  and 
bathint,  in  salt  water.  Hesides,  he  was 
never  to  taste  of  the  llesh  or  blubber  of 


his  whales  under  pain  of  losing  his  ex- 
traordinary jiowers.  Whales  are  an  article 
of  immense  importance  in  this  locality 
and  with  all  the  tribes  on  the  coast. 
They  are  considered  the  best  and  most 
wholesome  food,  and  the  oil  is  used  with 
all  kinds  of  dry  fish. 

June  2_?. — I  p  to  this  date  it  has  rained 
a  great  deal  :  the  weather  now  seems  to 
break  up  and  a  rainbow  is  seen  in  the 
direition  of  S\dnev  inlet.      .\11  at  once  a 


I'INM   K     Mill    K 

(  o'lple  iif  ii.di.ins  to  u  hoiii  I  am  tall^i^g, 
Ihiw  their  he, ids  and  turn  their  b.u  ks  mi 
the  rainbow  .  1  le.irn  from  them  that  the 
liidi.ins  nil  tlic  (  oast  never  liiiik  at  a  r.iiii- 
liiiw  iiir  fear  tluit  some  harm  bei. ill  them. 
I  line  J ;.  -  A  1  hi  Id  vva--  born  to  day,  ,mil 
being  the  oil'spriiig  c.t  .m  iii:|  ort.iiit  man . 
there  is  great  rejoiiing.  Nrcorchng  to  an 
old  1  U'-tom  a  (  (III pie  of  men  1' c.  iiig  the  title 
of  (>{•//(  i ■  beggars-— (  overed  wit'-.  Ic.ithers 
and  paint,  goto  the  hapi>\  parents'  house 
and  there  begin  their  pri'.'il  s  antl  dan»:es 


II 


ii. 


34 


X'ancouvcr  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


accompanied  by  singing  and  pleading, 
their  on'y  object  being  to  induce  the 
child's  father  to  make  presents  to  them 
and  invite  the  tribe  to  a  feast  of  food  and 
amusements.  Strange  to  say,  the  father 
of  the  newly  horn  child  is  confined  to 
the  house  as  well  as  the  mother — on  no 
pretext  can  he  go  outside  and  look  at  the 
ocean  or  sky.  Such  conduct  on  his  jjart 
would  have  the  effect  to  scare  away  the 
fish  and  to  anger  the  waves  of  the  sea. 
In  case  of  extreme  need  to  go  outside, 
the  man  must  cover  his  eyes,  look  down 
to  find  his  way;  but  under  no  pretext  can 
he  look  up  or  walk  along  the  beach. 

Apart  from  the  general  rejoicings,  the 
old  women  of  the  neighborhood  must 
also  have  their  turn.  There  they  sit 
around  the  newly  born  with  sticks  in 
their  hands,  and  striking  up  some  of  their 
usual  songs  begin  to  beat  time  on  cedar 
boards  or  a  worn-out  tambourine.  This 
they  continue  until  the  new  mother  or 
her  nearest  relatives  make  some  suitable 
present  to  all  the  women  visitors. 

The  name  of  the  infant,  given  before 
birth,  is  that  of  a  female  dead  relative  or 
ancestor.  In  case  the  progeny  belongs 
to  the  masculine  gender  anothei'  name  is 
soon  substituted. 

Another  peculiarity  about  the  Indians 
is  this:  If  any  one  dies  his  name  dies 
with  him;  that  is,  no  one  will  dare  pro- 
nounce it  again,  especially  in  the  presence 
of  relatives,  and  if  any  one  in  the  tribe 
has  a  name  which  sounds  like  that  of  the 
deceased  he  will  change  it  at  once. 

There  is  something  so  ludicrous  about 
this,  that  to  day  you  may  know  the 
names  of  all  your  people,  and  still  six 
months  later  you  are  likely  to  know  only 
■one  half  of  them.  Christian  names  are 
a  great  improvement,  but  in  giving  them 
one  must  be  careful  to  make  a  proper 
choice,  as  the  Indians  cannot  pronounce 
all  our  letters.  .\  boy  called  "Damien" 
was  the  other  day  asked  his  name,  to 
which  he  replied,  without,  however, 
showing  any  signs  of  anger,  "  l)am\'ou," 
meaning,  of  course,  to  say  '•  Damien," 
a  French  Christian  name. 


The  names  given  by  the  Indians  to 
their  children  are  family  names,  that  is, 
they  belong  especially  to  a  certain  clan  of 
the  whole  tribe.  Through  intermarriage, 
however,  many  have  passed  into  different 
clans,  and  in  fact,  as  far  as  I  can  see,  they 
now  are  pretty  well  spread  all  over  the 
tribe.  Inferior  peojjle,  however,  dare 
not  give  to  their  children  certain  names, 
which  svem  to  be  the  property  of  the 
chiefs  of  the  different  tribes,  nor  do  they, 
whatever  their  merits  may  be,  apply  them 
to  themselves. 

In  general,  the  names  of  our  Indians 
have  some  meaning,  being  mostly  sug- 
gested by  the  doings  of  some  big  hunter 
or  ancient  warrior.  Quite  a  number  of 
them,  though,  have  no  meaning  what- 
ever, and  are  simply  given  as  having  been 
the  name  of  some  ancestor.  As  a  rule, 
children  take  the  name  of  their  grand- 
father or  grandmother,  sometimes  of 
other  ancestors,  but  never  those  of  their 
parents. 

I  gather  from  what  I  heard  that  respect 
for  the  dead  and  their  (living)  relatives 
seems  to  be  the  main  reason  for  avoiding 
the  adoption  of  their  names  or  of  having 
them  pronounced  within  a  certain  period 
after  their  death. 

June  26. — A  canoe  containing  nine 
Ekoutl,  IJarJay  Sound,  Indians  has  just 
arrived.  She  attracted  our  attention  from 
(juite  a  distance  at  sea.  Although  the 
wind  was  favorable  she  took  in  her  sail, 
when  we  could  hardly  see  her.  She  car- 
ried a  tlag  at  her  stern  and  the  Indians 
were  paddling  as  hard  as  they  lould. 
Next  we  could  hear  them  sing,  and  when 
they  were  (juite  near  shore  they  stopped 
paddling,  and  one  of  the  men,  getting 
u\),  struck  up  a  song  in  a  loud,  moaning 
tone;  then,  upon  landing,  he  shouted 
something  to  our  people,  which  I  was 
afterwards  told  was  the  name  of  our  chief, 
and  gave  him  a  couple  of  blankets  as  a 
present. 

The  Hesquiat  Indians  evidently  knew 
the  object  of  the  visitors,  for,  as  a  rule, 
with  all  the  tribes  on  the  coast,  when 
strangers  arrive  at  a  village,  there  are  al- 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


35 


ways  a  number  of  the  people  who  run 
down  to  the  l)each,  either  to  welcome 
them  or  to  get  the  news. 

In  the  present  case,  not  one  of  our 
people  went  to  meet  the  strangers,  who 
were  now  at  the  landing  place.  Vet. 
when  called  upon  to  go  and  receive  the 
blankets,  the  chief  sent  one  of  the  young 
men  to  fetch  them  to  him. 

After  this  was  done  the  same  spokes- 
man (of  the  strangers)  got  up  again  and 
in  the  same  tone  of  voice  called  out  the 
name  of  the  second  chief  and  made  him 
also  a  (jresent  of  a  couple  of  blankets, 
which  a  messenger  went  down  to  the 
beach  to  take  for  the  second  chief. 

This  was  repeated  six  times,  so  that 
all  the  •jri'icipal  chiefs  received  a  present 
be*bre  f'^^  iien  put  an  end  to  their 
ger     isit* 

boii.e  ni  the  Hes(iu'at'3,  upon  hearing 
the  name  of  their  sons  called  out  by  these 
strangers,  got  quite  excited,  and  before 
inviting  them  into  their  houses  also  made 
presents  to  them,  which  were  accented 
with  the  usual  expression  of  thanks  : 
'  •  TIako  :  tlako  ." ' 

It  struck  me  as  strange  that  in  all  their 
feasts  and  meetings  the  parents  are  not 
mentioned  ;  that  is,  if  a  man  invites  to  a 
feast,  it  he  has  an  heir  he  will  always  ex- 
tend the  invitation  in  the  name  of  that 
heir,  and  also  whcii  jTCi^nts  are  given 
they  are  always  gi'  i-n  to  the  heir,  even  if 
he  were  only  one  .!.i.  . 'd.  i'he  parent 
always  disu')pea.  bc'il'J  Jic.  heir,  who  in 
all  cases  coupes  or  st.uds  ic  tlie  front  in 
the  estimation  ot  all  tl  i.  i  ;dians  on  this 
coast. 

The  Indians  of  I'lkoutl.  liarclay 
Sound,  are  here  with  the  object  of  in- 
viting the  Hes(|uiats  to  a  p(Jtiach,  as  tiie 
peculiar  way  of  their  landing  here  indi- 
cates. I'his  is  the  first  invitation  to  a 
podach  extent  >  )  to  my  Indians  since  I 
came  to  the  :  ■j-  x. 

A  |)otlach,  as  [  a.derstand  it  from  the 
meaning  of  the  word,  is  a  feast  where 
gifts  or  presents  are  made,  a  gift- feast. 
The  priests  and  ministers  of  all  denomi- 
nations   condemn     the    feast,   and    the 


Dominion  (lovernment  at  their  sugges- 
tion has  passed  a  law  prohibiting  it  under 
certain  penalties.  As  for  me,  I  cannot 
see  any  harm  in  it,  although  I  would 
rather  have  it  abolished.  I  had  no  reason 
therefore  of  my  own,  but  giving  due  im- 
portance to  the  conduct  of  men  longer 
in  the  nnnistry  than  myself,  1  used  all  my 
influence  to  keep  my  people  from  going 
to  the  present  gift- feast  in  Harclay 
Sound. 

.\s  I  understand  it,  a  potlach  simply 
consists  in  this  :  .\  man,  say  a  chief  of  a 
certain  tribe,  after  a  season  of  prosperity 
has  accumulated  a  large  number  of 
blankets — the  Indians  here  have  no 
money.  He  then  resolves  to  invite  a 
neighboring  tribe  to  a  feast  and  dis- 
tribute to  them  according  to  their  rank 
the  fruit  of  his  industry — his  blankets. 
He  privately  warns  the  members  of  his 
own  tribe  to  be  prepared  for  the  recep- 
tion of  the  tribe  which  he  singles  out. 
'I'his  proposition  is  ap])roved  of,  and  his 
friends,  the  principal  chiefs,  secure  the 
necessary  i)rovi::ions,  so  that  when  the 
feast  is  on  they  can  entertain  at  a  meal 
the  invited  guests. 

The  tribe  to  be  invited  are  also  warned 
in  due  time  and  afterwards  formally 
notified  that  their  i)resence  is  expected 
soon  after  the  formal  warning. 

The  occasion  of  starting  is  one  of  great 
excitement.  .\11  the  able-bodied  men  as 
a  rule  and  also  a  number  of  women  go 
along,  and  are  evidently  intent  ujjon 
haviiiga  good,  enjoyable  lime. 

The  arrival  at  the  village  where  they 
are  invited  is  also  ver\'  exciting.  They 
sinirand  dance  in  their  canoes,  the  drums 
beat  and  the  muskets  are  fired  off.  Mean- 
while the  people  on  shore  are  also  doing 
th<Mrbest  tomakeagood  show,  and  after 
many  different  ways  of  bidding  weli  ome, 
the  guests  land  and  are  invited  b,-  on<.  of 
the  chiefs  to  share  his  hospitality  by  tak- 
ing a  good  meal. 

Immediately  after  this  meal,  and  more 
fieiiueiitly  before  it,  the  visitors  are  di- 
vided, for  their  present  (piarters  during 
the  day  when  disengaged  and  for  sleeping 


J'  • 
It 


36 


\  ancouvcr  Islaml  and  Its  Missions. 


at  night,  amongst  the  members  of  tht' 
tribe,  who  take  pride  in  accommodatirg 
especially  those  to  whom  they  are  in  r.ny 
way  related.  There  they  are  also  wel'  ome 
at  meals  ;  but  every  day  during  their  stay 
one  or  more  of  the  (  hicfs  or  imjjortant 
men  invite  all  the  strangers  to  eat  in  their 
houses  where  singing,  dancing  and  ex- 
changing gifts  and  presents  are  freely  in- 
dulged in. 

.\  potlach  or  gift  feast  consists  in  ex- 
changing presents  either  with  the  object 
of  gain  or  of  exciting  the  admiration  of 
their  fellow- Indians.  Sometimes  in  the 
height  of  his  savage  pride  an  Indian 
makes  presents,  for  doing  which  he  is 
afterwards  sorry,  especially  if  an  article 
far  below  the  value  of  the  one  he  has 
himself  made  a  present  of  is  returned. 
Every  one  seems  to  speculate  either  for 
gain  or  for  glory! 

On  the  fourth  or  fifth  day  the  feast 
comes  to  a  conclusion  by  the  man  who 
has  '  .ted  the  strangers  making  presents 
to  an  of  them  according  to  their  rank  or 
their  importance;  not,  however,  without 
losing  sight  of  the  probability  that  the 
one  to  whom  the  presents  are  made  will 
.sometime  be  able  to  make  an  eijual  re- 
turn to  the  giver.  Herein  the  potlach 
fails  of  good,  for  the  old  people  are  almost 
lost  sight  of  and  so  are  orphan  children, 
es])ecially  those  of  the  female  gender.  A 
potlach  is  not  an  expression  of  charity, 
but  a  pure  piece  of  Indian  speculation. 

During  the  festivities,  the  Indians 
wear  their  best  blankets  and  keep  them- 
selves cleaner  than  usual,  but  for  their 
dances  and  games,  they  have  resort  to  all 
means  to  make  themselves  look  ugly  or 
odd.  Their  faces  painted,  their  heads 
covered  with  down,  masks  of  different 
descriptions,  bear  skins  are  put  on  and 
even  Chinese  (lueues  are  worn  by  the 
younger  class  of  people. 

The  festivities  come  to  an  end  by  a 
speech  made  b)  the  one  who  invited 
the  strangers.  These  jjack  tlu'ir  gifts  to 
their  canoes  and  the  people  at  home 
resume  their  usual  work  and  occui)ations. 

'l"he  hospitality  shown  by  our    Indians 


to  visitors  or  strangers  is  ipiite  note- 
worthy, .'s  soon  as  a  canoe  of  strangers 
arrive  at  a  village  they  are  at  once  in- 
vited by  some  of  the  residents  to  carry 
their  belongings  up  to  their  house;  a 
meal  is  prc|)ared  for  them  and  lodgings 
are  offered.  When  traveling  our  people 
take  little  or  no  provisions  along,  for  they 
may  always  reckon  upon  receiving  hospi- 
tality wherever  they  happen  to  go  on 
shore  near  an  Indian  settlement,  and 
whatever  food  is  left  after  their  meal,  is 
taken  to  the  canoe  of  the  visitors.  It  is 
used  by  them  on  their  voyage  home  and 
remnants  are  distributed  to  their  friends 
at  home,  during  the  jjartaking  of  which 
all  the  nev.  i.f  interest  is  communicated. 
In  their   /'  aes  after  a   successful 

day  or  season  ishing  or  hunting   in- 

vitations are  often  sent  out  to  the  tribe 
or  a  part  thereof,  to  come  and  partake  of 
a  feast  of  food,  the  remnants  in  all  cases 
being  carried  by  the  young  people  to 
the  respective  homes  of  the  invited  guests. 
Before  retiring  a  spee(  h  h  made  by  one 
of  the  principal  men,  and  thanks  are  duly 
given  to  the  host  in  the  name  of  those 
who  were  invited.  In  all  cases  the  in- 
vited guests  occupy  a  jilace  according  to 
their  rank.  It  reminds  one  very  much 
of  the  customs  of  the  Jews  at  the  time  of 
our  Lord. 

June  2.S. —  To-day  the  first  funeral  ac 
cording  to  the  rites  of  the  Catholic 
Church  takes  jjlace.  A  funeral  is  never  a 
very  tunny  affair,  still  this  one  seems  to 
be  an  exception,  at  least  as  far  as  I  was 
concerned.  'The  Indian  died  about  mid- 
night: as  was  customary  he  was  \nit  in 
a  box  or  trunk  at  once,  a  fuct  of  which 
1  was  warned  by  a  messenger.  I  got  up 
and  told  the  Indian  that  the  funeral 
could  not  take  place  before  morning — 
however,  that  there  was  no  objection  to 
having  the  corpse  put  outside  of  the 
Indian  house. 

■Vbout  three  o'clock  I  was  again 
aroused.  Once  more  1  told  the  messenger 
to  have  patience  till  .Mass  time.  lUit 
about  tour  o'clock  there  were  (|uite  a 
number  of  n.essengers.      I  got  up  again; 


$■; 


X'ancomer  Islaml  and  Its  Missions. 


VilCM,    ,l|!(Kl    I-    "I       I  III-     i.ilKI-N.   —  IIIKKI       III    III      lilKI-     \l     li    V\      —  >M|("ii      (HllliKIN. 

A    i.Kdll'.  \     I  AM  II  I  \l<     11  i\l  PANS  , 


38 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


il  '1 


by  that  time  the  primitive  coffin  was  in 
evidence  at  the  church  door.  Still,  I 
thought  it  rather  unusual  to  hury  the 
dead  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
hence  1  postponed  again;  but  when  five 
o'clock  came  there  was  no  use  trying  to 
put  it  off  any  longer.  The  funeral  was 
to  take  place  right  then.  (Juite  a  num- 
ber of  people  crowiled  into  the  church; 
the  coffin  was  put  in  the  centre,  but  every 
one  faced  the  coffin,  even  those  in  front 
in  the  church  turned  their  ba<  ks  to  the 
altar.  When  .Mass  was  over  1  solemnly 
headed  the  funeral  procession  with  cross 
and  altar  boys,  reciting  the  prayers  of  the 
Ritual,  when  looking  behind  me  I 
noticed  that  the  savages  had  taken 
another  road  with  the  corpse,  in  fact  they 
had  put  it  into  a  canoe  and  were  jjaddling 
across  the  small  bay  around  which  I  was 
walking.  Still,  we  arrived  ultimately  at 
the  same  spot,  but  to  my  dismay  there 
was  no  grave  dug.  There  we  stood  about 
to  bury  the  dead  chief  and  no  grave. 
Shovel  and  pick  were  sent  for.  I  took 
off  my  surjjlice,  began  the  digging  of  a 
grave,  got  an  Indian  to  continue  and 
went  home  and  had  my  breakfiist.  When 
everything  was  rtady,  1  went  back  and 
blessed  the  grave,  and  the  first  Christian 
of  this  region  was  laid  to  rest  in  con- 
.secrated  ground.      R.  1.  l\ 

I  am  inf'j'-ined  that  this  Christian 
funeral  is  i,ji'  .  a  victory  towards  break- 
ing up  the  old  pagan  customs  and  super- 
stitions of  the  Indians  of  this  coast  in 
case  of  sickness  and  death.  Mrstof  all, 
because  the  Indian  was  really  ilead  when 
he  was  removed  and  put  into  the  coffin. 
Many  instances  are  narrated  where  peo- 
ple have  been  buried  alive.  A  coasting 
trader  told  me  that  when  he  was  sta- 
tioned at  Clayoquat  a  man  was  put  on 
an  island  where  there  was  a  small  trad- 
ing post.  During  the  night  somebody 
rapped  at  his  door,  he  got  up  and  there 
stood  a  naked  Indian,  the  man  who  had 
been  buried  tlie  day  before.  He  lived 
two  years  after  his  supposed  death.  'I'he 
strangest  part  of  the  story  was  that  the 
Indians  who  had  buried  him  maintained 


still  that  the  man  was  dead,  and  that  it 
was  a  bad  spirit  that  now  occupied  the 
corpse,  or  rather  the  body  of  the  new 
Lazarus. 

Some  time  ago  I  was  called  to  see  an 
Indian  sui)posed  to  be  dying.  What 
was  my  horror  when  coming  in  the  house 
1  found  them  tieing  together  his  arms 
and  legs  and  actually  preparing  to  bury 
him  alive. 

.A  young  married  woman  had  given 
birth  to  her  first  child.  She  took  con- 
vulsions and  fainted  away.  No  time  was 
lost  in  putting  her  in  a  box,  and  removing 
her  into  a  cave  close  to  the  village.  Ne.xt 
morning  a  man  went  bathing  in  the 
neighborhood  and  heard  the  poor  girl  cry 
for  pity.      She  was  alive  .      .      and, 

horrible  to  relate,  she  was  left  to  die  in 
her  misery.  Her  new-born  baby  soon 
followed  her  in  death,  having  starved  for 
want  of  food.  This  happened  at  Nootka 
1  know  a  man  whose  son,  the  father  of  a 
small  family,  took  suddenly  sick  through 
exposure  ;  he  seemed  to  have  cramps  all 
over  his  body  and  became  speechless. 
.\tterfouror  five  days  the  old  man  or- 
dered a  coffin  to  be  made  and  asked  the 
services  of  three  young  men — they  nar- 
rated this  to  me  themselves  with  delight — 
to  force  the  sic'-  son  into  Hie  box  ;  they 
tied  him  hands  and,  feet  and  having  him 
well  secured  they  did  as  they  were  told 
by  the  heartless  lather,  and  took  him  out 
into  the  bush  to  perish  of  misery. 
During  all  this  transaction,  the  unfortu- 
nate fellow  groaned  and  seemed  to  ask 
tiiein  to  have  jiity  on  him.  't'hey  were 
inclined  to  comply  with  his  wishes,  but 
they  were  told  :  "  Never  mind,  do  as  I 
tell  you;  my  son  is  dead,  the  bad  spirit 
has  hold  of  him  and  makes  all  this  re- 
sistance. " 

.Another  ( ase  came  to  my  notice  as 
reported  by  an  eye  witness  :  A  middle- 
aged  savage  was  cutting  down  a  tree  ;  it 
fell  unexpectedly  and  crushed  one  of  his 
legs  very  badly.  He  was  carried  home, 
bled  a  great  deal  and  at  last  was  pro- 
nounced dead  by  the  "  medicine  men," 
although  every  other  witness   knew    that 


TT 


t, 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


39 


he  was  only  in  a  faint.  Next  morning  as 
my  informant  was  walking  along  the  beach 
he  noticed  that  one  leg  stuck  through  the 
square  box  into  which  the  body  had  been 
placed,  an  evident  sign  that  the  man  had 
been  buried  alive,  and  that  in  order  to 
free  himself  he  had  used  the  sound  leg  to 
break  the  side  of  the  box,  the  injured  one 
having  been  too  fiir  destroyed  or  too 
painful  to  be  used  for  the  purpose. 

In  rare  instances  the  Indians  mutilate 
the  bodies  of  the  dead  before  removing 
them.  ( )ne  case  came  to  my  knowledge. 
A  young  couple  had  had  several  chil- 
dren, but  they  had  all  died  soon  after 
birth.  This  happened  again,  and  the 
father  of  the  dead  child,  upon  the  advice 
of  the  old  people  and  with  the  object 
that  such  a  misfortune 
should  not  happen  to  him 
again,  literally  broke  every 
>one  of  the  legs  and  arms 
of  the  dead  infant  before 
placing  it  into  the  coffin. 

The  Indians  up  to  this 
had  never  buried  their  dead 
under  ground.  When  it  was 
time  to  remove  a  corpse, 
they  made  an  opening  in 
the  side  of  the  house  —they 
never  took  a  corpse  through 
a  door,  especially  on  account 
of  the  children  and  younger 
people  who,  as  the  savages 
thought,  would  die  in  case 
they  passed  through  the 
passage  followed  by  jieoplo 
<arryingout  a  corjjse.  They 
removed  the  dead  through 
an  opening  made  in  the  wail 
by  removing  a  few  of  the 
side  boards  of  their  houses 
—then  they  walked  if  pos- 
sible on  the  beach  below 
high-water  mark.  If  the 
body  was  i)laced  in  a  canoe, 
that  canoe  was  afterwards 
de.stroyetl.  The  bodies  were 
removed  to  only  a  small 
distance  from  the  village  and 
placed  in  a  prominent  |)lace 


on  the  iimiis  of  trees  ten  or  twenty  feet 
from  the  ground.  There  they  were  fas- 
tened to  the  body  of  the  trees  with  «(.rong 
( ords  made  of  cedar  bark  ;  afterwards 
they  were  covered  with  blankets  ;  then  a 
display  was  made  by  hanging  blankets  all 
around.  While  this  was  going  on,,  the 
people  in  the  house,  especially  the  old 
women,  gathered  everything  that  had 
belonged  to  the  dead  man  or  woman, 
made  a  fire  outside,  threw  all  the  relics 
into  it  and  destroyed  whatever  was  not 
.ntlammable. 

And  now  you  could  hear  them  in  the 
houses  cry  and  lament  and  utter  the  most 
unearthly  wailings  that  one  can  listen  to. 

When  men  of  im|)ortance  die,  the 
mourning  is  general  and  the  scenes  that 


i 


\\\    MKSI     IN    11.1  Nl.Ss. 


40 


\'anc()ii\ cr  Islainl  and  Its  Missions. 


are  enacted  go  beyond  all  limits.  I'hose 
of  a  lowt-  rank  are  mourned  hy  only 
their  own  relatives  and  nearest  friends. 

A  year  later  the  relatives  and  friends 
of  the  deceased  walk  all  in  a  body  to  the 
tree  where  the  body  has  been  placed  : 
they  open  the  box  and  taking  out  the 
skull  thi-y  carry  it  to  their  house  and 
there  keej)  it  as  a  relic. 

The  idea  is,  I  am  told,  to  keep  it  from 
desecration,  for  the  skull  of  the  dead  is 
iise'^  as  a  '•  charm"'  to  he  successful  as  a 
hunter,  a  warrior  or  a  "  medicine  man." 
Yet,  notwithstanding  all  the  precautions 
that  are  taken,  you  can  find  along  the 
streams  in  the  bush  different  constru*  - 
tions  that  base  been  put  uj)  by  the  na- 
tives where  they  used  to  go  and  pray  for 
good  lu(  k  or  success,  and  there  you  in- 
variably find  the  skull  of  some  dead 
Indian  ! 

July  lo. — I  arrived  back  from  a  trij) 
along  the  coast  with  six  of  the  best  and 
strongest  young  men.  W'c  were  well  re- 
ceived by  the  different  tribes  and  visited 
them  ail.  the  Chicklesats  being  met  in  a 
small  bay  near  Cajie  Cook,  the  extreme 
limit  of  the  Mission  of  the  Sacred  Heart 
of  which  I  ha\  (■  charge. 

<  )n  our  way  back  we  called  on  the 
I'.hattisal  Inilians  living  near  lacliii. 
There  we  found  Chief  .Maqiiinna.  being 
on  his  father's  side  the  chief  of  this  triiie 
and  on  lii>  mother's  side  the  chief  of  the 
Xoolka  or  .Mowachat  people. 

We  were  u>here(l  into  hi>  lodge  b\  tiie 
chief  himself.  His  1  lulian  wife,  the  >i>- 
ter  ol'  .\latlaliaw,  the  man  who  shot  me, 
re(  ei\e(l  us  with  esitient  signs  ot'  iinea>i- 
iie^s  and  ^hauK'.  liowe\cr.  I  >poke  to 
her  kindl\-  and  my  Indians  also  tried  to 
make  her  feel  at  home,  .\ficr  gi\ing 
Catechism  in>lrii(  tions  to  all  the  Indian^ 
present  I  went  outsitle  with  the  obie(  t  of 
saying  my  office,  and  having  retired  to  a 
certain  distance  iVom  the  camp  I  felt  an- 
noyed to  see  .\iai|uinna  come  and  join 
me.  I  found  an  excuse  to  send  him  awa\' 
for  a  few  minutes,  and  availed  myself  of 
his  absence  to  walk  ap  a  small  creek 
where  i  could  sa\  iu\-  olfice  without  beiiiii 


disturbed.  When  lo.'  1  saw  my  Hesipiiat 
guides  run  about  evidently  in  a  great  state 
of  excitement  They  noti(  ed  me  at  last, 
and  coming  u|)  they  told  me  to  (piit  my 
place  of  refuge  and  not  to  go  out  of  their 
sight  again.  I  knew  not  what  they 
meant  and  followed  their  advice.  When 
night  (  ame  1  prepared  myself  to  lie  down 
in  the  chief's  house,  who  had  acted,  as  it 
struck  me  then,  in  a  very  suspicious  way 
in  the  latter  part  of  the  afternoon. 

I  went  to  sleep  about  lo  o'clock  and 
expected  to  have  a  good  night,  for  I  was 
worn  out  with  fatigue  and  the  strong, 
thick  smoke  of  the  open  fire  had  almost 
made  me  blind.  Although  I  was  lying 
on  the  bare  boards  I  dozed  off  almost  at 
once. 

Suddenly  I  lilt  an  oppression  on  the 
chest.  I  awoke  and  o|)ening  my  eyes  I 
saw  the  chief  s  face  close  to  mine.  Mis 
eyes  were  staring  out  of  their  sockets  and 
his  heavy  breath  was  suffocating.  What 
did  he  want  ?  \\  hat  was  his  intention 
or  purpose? 

Next  morning.  in-;t  at  daylight.  I  was 
aroused  from  my  couch  by  one  of  my 
crew  :  he  told  me  to  get  up  at  once  as 
(piietly  as  possible  and  follow  him  out  of 
the  ram  h.  I  folbnved  his  ordeis.  but 
llotwilh^tandinu  our  precaiiti(jns  we  were 
detected.  We  jumped  into  our  canoe, 
I  lie  (  liiel' following  us  in  a  rage  down  the 
beach,  and  abusing  my  peo|>le  in  ino^t 
insulting  language. 

However,  no  notice  was  taken.  .M  \- 
men  were  ai  lluir  paddles  and  thev  did 
not  take  a  breath  till  we  were  >v'\eral 
miles  away  ;  then  looking  behind  and 
seeing  that  we  were  not  followed,  one  of 
them  told  of  our  dangerous  positicjn  the 
day  bef(jre. 

The  chief  was  going  to  have  mekilleil 
by  one  of  his  men  if  he  could  not  suc(  eetl 
in  doing  it  himself  Then  he  was  going 
to  accuse  my  guides  of  having  committed 
the  murder  in  order  to  get  even  with 
them,  tor  one  of  the  men  with  me  had 
taken  to  \  i<  toria  and  delivered  to  the 
police  and  authorities  the  father  of  .\lat- 
lahaw,   the   would-be  murderer,  and  had 


TT 


V'aiuouvcr  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


4« 


there  accused  the  ohl  man  of  having  in- 
cited his  son  to  do  the  shooting.  In 
answer  toa  question.  I  was  told  that  su(  h 
a  practice  is  very  counnon  with  the  sav- 
ages of  this  (  oast,  and  that  many  a  war 
has  had  its  origin  and  cause  in  false  ac- 
cusations of  this  kind. 

July  i6.  —  Townissini,  the  lather  of 
Matlahaw.  arrives  in  Hes(iuiat. 

I'ownissim  was  the  chief  of  Hescpiiat 
and  the  father  of  Matlahaw.  who  was 
a(  ting  as  his  sue  ccssor. 


together,  and  to  tiuir  honor  they  saw- 
only  a  lew  pa<  es  away  the  liody  of  a 
dead  man  at  the  toot  of  a  large,  hollow- 
tree.  I'here  could  he  no  mistake  about 
it  :  it  was  he  !  He  wore  his  uniform  as 
t  hief,  and  a  medal  presented  by  the 
Dominion  (lovermnent  on  liis  breast. 

Horrified,  they  all  retired — gave  the 
news  to  their  friends  and  looked  upon 
thL'  spot  as  a  pla(  e  to  be  avoided.  How- 
ever, before  making  this  search  they  had 
already    arrested     Townissini,    the  young 


\  I  II    N(,    \|  \KRIK|i    I  I  It'll  K 


A  tVw  days  afl(;r  the  man  of  war  had 
taken  me  to  N'ictoria  the  Indians  ar- 
ranged a  sean  h  party,  and  they  had 
promised  to  take  the  \ijung  chief  to  the 
authorities  of  the  i)oli(  e  department,  In 
case  he  could  be  found.  All  the  able- 
bodied  men  took  part  in  it,  and  having 
started  from  a  certain  point  they  meant 
to  walk  through  the  bush  for  miles 
around.  Howe.er.  they  had  hardly  be- 
gun their  work  when  one  of  the  |)art\ 
uttered  a  cry  of  alarm.      'I'hey   gathered 


'  hiefs  latluT.  and  taken  him  to  \'i(  toria. 
They  a(  (  u>cd  him.  and  iKJt  without 
grave  reason,  that  he  was  at  the  bottom 
(jf  all  the  trouble,  and  that  Matlahaw 
had  only  a<  ted  under  orders  from  his 
father.  Indeed,  jirexioiis  to  the'  shoot- 
ing, the  old  man  had  been  seen  for  three 
su('(  essive  mornings  in  (lose  pri\ate  con- 
versation with  his  Mm  :  then  on  the 
morning  of  the  shooting  he  had  left  the 
village,  even  before  daylight,  taking  along 
his  grandchild,   and    had    not   been   seen 


42 


\'aiic()iivcr  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


M 


ever  since  :  from  which  tlie  Indians  coii- 
(  hided  thai  the  man  knew  what  was  go- 
ing to  take  place,  and  kejjt  out  of  the 
way  till  further  de\ei()|)inents. 

Hem  e  they  had  at  once  be};un  their 
search  lor  liini  or  for  both,  when  one 
morning  noticing  the  smoke  of  a  eam|» 
fire  at  llntrance  Toint,  they  crossed  in 
their  canoes  and  arrested  him. 

He  was  six  months  in  jail  in  N'ictoria, 
and  then  the  news  that  Matlahaw  was 
dead  having  reac  hed  the  authorities,  he 
was  sent  hack  with  a  caution,  and  indue 
time  arrived  in  llesiiuiat, 

July  25. —  I'ownissimcame  to  my  house 
to-day  just  as  (luite  a  number  of  Indians 
were  in  my  house.  1  told  them  to  be 
kind  to  him  and  at  the  same  time  told 
him  to  show  no  ill  feelings  against  any- 
body. 

August  23. — Notwithstanding  my  cau- 
tion, Pownissim  is  inciting  the  Indians 
against  me.  I  hear  that  the  poor  man 
is  in  dread  of  being  killed  by  his  own 
subjects.  Hence,  whenever  he  goes  out- 
side of  his  dwelling,  he  always  carries  a 
knife  concealed  under  his  blanket. 

September  25. — ("lood  news  to  day. 
The  Bishop  is  on  his  way  to  this  place 
and  is  accomjjanied  by  a  priest. 

September  2(>.  —  Right  Rev.  C.  J. 
Seghers,  accompanied  by  Rev.  P.  J. 
Nicolaye,  arrives  in  Hesipiiat  a  few  min- 
utes before  midnight. 

()ctol)er  I. — Feast  of  the  Holy  Rosary. 
The  Bishop  blesses  our  new  church,  the 
first  on  the  west  coast  of  Vancouver 
Island,  and  i)laces  it  under  the  patronage 
of  St.  Anthony.  A  procession  is  organ- 
ized in  which  participate,  besides  all  the 
Hesquiat  Indians,  all  the  Machelats,  a 
number  of  Nootkas,  Clayotpiats  and 
Ahousats. 

October  S. — The  Hescpiiat  chiefs  are 
called  together  and  a  grant  of  land  is 
made,  on  which,  in  the  distant  future,  it 
is  proposed  to  build  a  substantial  chun  h 
and  to  erect  other  buildings  as  circum- 
stances may  recpiire.  The  ground  may 
be  taken  up  at  once  and  cultivated. 

October  10. — Reverend  Father  Nico- 


laye received  leave  to  stay  with  me  during 
the  winter.  He  is  supi)osed  to  ])repare 
himself  to  take  charge  of  a  portion  of  my 
mission  next  spring. 

()ctoberi2.  —  The  Bishop  leaves  on 
the  schooner  • '.Alert,"  (I.  Brown  captain, 
and  returns  to  Vic  toria.  his  visit  to  the 
•Mission  having  created  cpiite  an  e.xcite- 
ment  amongst  the  Indians  as  he  has  told 
them  that  they  must  prei)are  for  baptism. 
I  avail  myself  of  the  oi)|)ortunity  to  com- 
mence preaching  against  their  sui)ersti- 
tion  with  new  zeal  and  determination. 

But  oh  !  how  far  they  are  from  having 
the  least  idea  of  Christianity  and  a  Chris- 
tian life.  We  have  a  mountain  to  re- 
move which  only  Cod's  grace  can  help 
us  to  do. 

.\t  this  time  of  the  year  many  of  our 
Indians  go  up  the  inlets  and  rivers  with 
the  object  of  making  new  canoes.  Up 
on  the  hillsides  or  on  the  lowlands  they 
cut  down  a  cedar  tree  and  with  a  com- 
mon axe  cut  off  a  length  according  to 
the  size  recpiired  for  the  purposes  of  the 
canoe,  /.  r.,  sealing,  fishing,  sea  otter 
hunting,  or  traveling.  Then  they  i)ut 
the  proper  shape  to  it,  very  roughly, 
first  outside,  then  inside.  Next  they  in- 
vite some  friends  and  together  they  pull 
the  clumsy  frame  to  the  stream  or  to  the 
ocean  and  then  float  it  and  pull  it  on 
shore  before  their  houses  in  the  village. 
When  otherwise  unemployed,  especially 
in  the  early  morning  and  toward  evening, 
they  use  a  peculiar  hand  chisel  or  adze 
(in  old  times  they  used  a  chisel  of  stone 
or  of  horn  ot  the  antlers  of  elk),  and 
with  wonderful  patience  they  cutoff  chip 
after  chi]),  till  the  frame  is  reduced  to 
the  proper  thickness — say  one  inch  or 
more  for  the  sides  and  double  that  much 
for  the  bottom.  Then  knot- holes  are 
filled  up.  finishing  pieces  put  in,  and 
when  all  this  is  done  a  fire  is  made 
under  the  canoe,  raised  up  from  the 
ground  on  blocks,  and  the  bottom  is 
rendered  perfectly  smooth.  All  the  work 
is  done  without  instruments  to  go  by  or 
measure  ;  yet  most  of  these  Indian  canoes 
are  so  true  and  so  well  shaped  and  pro- 


ir 


\'aiU()iiv»T  Island  ami  Its  Missions. 


43 


K 

If 


|)ortionod  that  not  lvcii  an  exper 
could  detect  the  least  llaw  or  imper- 
fection. 

October  22. — .Ml  the  natives  of  the 
tribe  have  (  ome  tochun  h  to  day,  even 
those  living  up  the  inlet  and  rivers. 

1  make  a  rule  ( in  ch.irch  i  that  all 
the  people — men,  women  and  chil- 
dren— must  at  least  wear  a  shirt,  and 
that  no  one  will  be  admitted  into  my 
house  ex(  ept  he  wears  a  shirt  imder 
his  blanket,  .\fter  this  I  show  them 
the  absurdity  of  some  01  their  super- 
stitions. 

.\s  this  is  the  '•salmon  sea.son," 
the  old  jjcople  are  as  usual  i>reaching 
to  the  tribe  the  propriety  of  con- 
forming with  the  old  established  regu- 
ations  lest  this  great  article  of  food 
should  leave  the  neighborhood  and 
not  come  back  again  in  the  future. 
For  instance,  salmon  should  not  be 
cut  open  with  a  knife  ;  it  should 
not  be  boiled  in  an  iron  pot,  nor 
given  as  food  to  dogs  or  cats.  The 
bones  must  be  carefully  collected  and 
thrown  into  the  sea,  and  under  no  con- 
sideration must  it  be  given  to  any  white 
man,  in(  hiding  the  priest,  lest  he  pre- 
pare it  in  lard  or  a  frying  pan.  It  should 
not  be  taken  to  the  houses  in  baskets, 
but  carefully  carried  one  in  each  hand. 
These  and  many  other  details  will  show 
what  an  amount  of  absurdities  were  in 
these  people's  minds.  They  were  in  utter 
darkness  without  the  light  of  thedosiJel. 

It  is  almost  humiliating  to  have  to  say 
that  this  and  like  matters  formed  to- 
day the  suliject  of  my  sermon,  and  that 
it  created  (piite  a  revolution  in  the 
camp,  in  fact,  it  had  the  effect  of  my 
presence  here  becoming  a  cause  oi" 
alarm  and  a  matter  of  regret  on  the  part 
of  the  full  grown  men  and  women  in  the 
village. 

November  i — For  some  time  the  In- 
dians in  discussing  with  me  their  customs 
and  beliefs  have  been  talking  about  a 
moiintain  said  to  be  inhabited  by  a  ghost 
or  spirit.  It  seems  to  be  the  main  prop  of 
their  creed,  and  it  struck  me  that  if  I  could 


IdNIi    Ol-    Till'.    (.AMIKA. 

not  prove  this  to  be  a  traud,  I  could  not 
hope  to  uproot  the  rest  of  their  super- 
stitions. Henc  e  I  resolved  to  visit  the 
mountain  so  often  spoken  about,  and 
show  them  that  they  had  been  deceived 
by  their  forefathers. 

According  m  the  legend,  nine  men 
have  died  on  the  toj)  of  that  mountain 
through  entering  a  cave,  the  home  of  the 
ghost,  ivithout  having  first  made  the 
recpiisite  preparations.  Some  of  those 
preparations  are,  to  be  fasting  during 
ten  days,  and  to  abstain  from  all 
relations  with  the  other  sex  during  ten 
months.  The  natives  here,  be  it  no- 
ticed, have  an  immense  idea  of  con- 
tinence and  they  attribute  to  the  fact  ol' 
my  vow  of  chastity  that  when  tiu'ir 
chief  shot  me  I  was  not  killed  on  the 
spot.  Hence,  in  preparation  for  their 
wars,  their  hunting  parties  and  every 
undertaking  of  great  importance  they 
keej)  or  pretend  to  keep  strictly  con- 
tinent. 

The  legend  continues  that  only  one 
man  has  entered  the  home  of  the  ghost  ; 
and  that  he  used  to  do  so  every  year. 
In  consecpience  of  which   he   was  most 


III 


in 


44 


X'ancoiiv'cr  Island  ami  Its  Missions. 


successful  in  the  w'lale  hunt,  an  averajje 
catch  beinj,'  ♦en  w  hales  per  season. 

His  nine  brothers  begged  of  him  one 
day  to  be  allowed  to  accompany  him  on 
the  hazardous  expedition.  After  using 
every  means  to  dissuade  them  and  see- 
ing that  still  they  would  insist,  he  at  last 
complied  with  their  request  and  the  ten 
travelled  together  to  the  top  of  the 
mountain.  The  hero  of  the  expedition 
insisted  that  the  brothers  should  enter 
first  into  the  cave,  the  supposed  iiome 
of  the  ghost.  One  after  the  other 
entereil  as  he  was  told  ;  the  tenth  was 
just  about  to  do  so,  too,  when  all  of  a 
sudden  the  entrance  closed  up  and  re- 
mained closed  till  the  nine  unfortunate 
men  had  been  torn  to  jiieces  and  de- 
voured by  animals  the  size  of  a  minU. 
The  hero  of  the  story  reported  what  had 
happened  upon  his  arrival  in  the  camj) 
and  ever  since  that  time  the  cave  on  the 
mountain  has  been  looked  upon  as  a 
famous  and  sacred  spot.  'I'he  report 
adds  that  as  soon  as  anybody  ai)i)roaches 
the  top  of  the  mountain  pieces  of  rocks 
and  pebbles  are  thrown  at  the  visitor  and 
the  ghost  is  heard  to  groan  from  a  dis- 
tani  e.  'I'his  it  also  does  when  a  severe 
easterly  storm  approaches. 

Having  been  ol)liged  to  manifest  my 
plan  in  order  to  secure  a  crew  to  carry 
me  to  the  foot  of  the  famous  mountain. 
and,  if  willing,  to  accomjiany  me  to  the 
to])  thereof,  I  meet  with  general  disap- 
and  i)rol)ation  from  the  tribe.  All  the  im- 
portant men  put  their  strength  together 
and  are  determined  to  prevent  me  from 
carrying  out  my  plan.  Conseijuently  tlicy 
come  to  my  house  and  by  violent  ges- 
ticulations and  with  shouts  declare  that 
I  cannot  go  ;  tiiat  no  Indians  shall  ac- 
company me;  that  if  1  do  go  1  am  sure 
not  to  come  back  alive.  Two  young  mer. 
who  iiad  promised  to  accompany  me  are 
deterred  from  doing  so.  Only  one  in- 
trepid fellow  keeps  his  promise.  The 
Indians  threaten  to  kill  him  in  case  he 
does  not  bring  me  b.ick  alive.  Seeing 
that  all  their  efforts  to  |)revent  me  are 
useless,  the  Indians  retire  full  of  dissatis- 


faction and  anger,  assured  that  I  will 
perish  in  the  attempt,  and  subseipiently 
that  my  fellow  white  men  will  blame  ihem 
for  having  been  indirei  tly  the  cause  of 
my  death. 

I, ate  in  the  evening  an  old  man,  in 
order  to  make  up  for  the  ( ondui  t  of  his 
son,  who  after  having  promised  to  ac- 
company me,  had  afterwards  backed  out, 
iirings  word  that  he  himself  will  be  a 
member  of  our  party — and  adds  that  he 
will  take  along  an  axe  to  knock  the 
ghost  (i)oke)  on  the  heail  I 

Noveml)er  2.  — After  offering  up  the 
Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  1  warned  the 
Indians  th.at  I  would  leave  at  once,  and 
that  I  hoped  that  no  further  resistance 
would  be  made.  \  took  along  I'ather 
iSicolaye  who  w-is  very  anxious  to  ac- 
company us. 

We  arrived  at  noon  at  the  foot  of  the 
lamous  mountain  (_^,ooo  t'eet  high), 
called  by  the  natives,  "  Kwo  ah-all." 
We  experienced  very  little  or  no  diffi- 
culty in  ascnding  it,  for  it  is  clear  of 
brushwood  and  (  overed  only  thinly  with 
cedar  trees,  some  of  which  are  remark 
able  for  their  size.  M  four  o'clock  we 
were  at  the  foot  of  an  immense  bluff 
which  crowns  the  mountain  and  which 
to  the  southeast  is  of  a  dark  red  color. 
A(  (  ording  to  the  rejjort  of  the  Indians, 
this  m\steiious  cave  is  southeast  of  the 
bluff.  Without  losing  any  time  we 
wended  our  way  in  thai  direction.  Mean- 
while our  guides  began  to  make  the  re- 
mark that  they  heard  no  noise,  that  no 
pebbles  or  rocks  were  thrown  at  us  ; 
which  gave  them  such  courage  that  they 
were  determined  to  find  the  cave,  if 
there  was  any.  even  at  the  risk  of  their 
lives  !  But  our  search  v.hich  lasted  «rv. 
eral  hours  was  in  vain  :  and  after  trav- 
eling till  dark  on  and  around  the  bluff 
without  finding  any  mysterious  opening 
or  cave,  we  concluded  that  we  would 
look  for  a  good  camping  place,  and  re- 
turn home  next  morning,  and  rejujrt 
that,  as  we  knew  beforehand,  the  story 
of  the  nine  dead  men  and  the  ten 
whales  is  an   Indian  varn.      lust   before 


!f 


Vancouver  Island  antl   Its  Missions. 


45 


retiring  for  tlic  night  onr  ol  the  Indi.uis 
ascentkd  lo  the  siiniiuit  of  the  nioiin- 
taiii  ■'"  '  ''red  off  thi-  two  barrels  of  liis 
gnu  use  a>  he  >,iid  tlu'  ghost  from 

his  letliargy  in  case  lie  should  bo  asleej). 
The  report  of  the  gun  was  heard  by  sev- 
tral  llisi|iiiat  Indians  wlio  were  camped 
three  miles  away  from  tlie  toot  of  the 
mountain. 

We  enjoyed  ourselves  capitally  on  the 
tcj)  of  the  famous  mountain.  We  s|)ent 
a  most  pleasant  night  around  a  large  lire 
which  our  guides  had  started  and  which 
they  kept  going  till  morning.  However, 
we  suffered  c-onsiderably  for  the  want  of 
water  as  none  can  be  t'ound  beyond 
midway  of  the  large  mountain. 

November  3. — Our  descent  fro;n  the 
mountain,  which  we  commenced  at  day- 
light, was  very  pleasant  til!  we  came 
within  an  hour's  walk  from  the  water's 
edge.  Then  we  stood  before  precipices 
frightuliy  deep  which  delayed  our  return 
home  for  several  hours,  as  we  had  repeat- 
edly to  return  on  our  tracks  and  lind 
other  paths.  At  last  we  arrived  at  the 
spot  where  we  had  left  our  canoe  the 
day  before  with  no  other  mishap  save 
that  my  Newfoundland  dog,  which  we 
had  taken  along  as  a  bodyguard,  had 
fallen  into  one  of  the  ravines  men- 
tioned above  and  could  not  be  gotten  out. 

We  arrived  at  the  mission  about  dusk. 
Our  mission  llag  was  hoisted  at  the  stern 
of  our  canoe  as  a  sign  of  victory  of  the 
Cross  over  pagan  superstitions.  Upon 
our  landing  no  Indians  could  be  seen 
outside  of  the  houses  ;  only  one  man 
came  to  meet  us.  He  was  a  young 
fellow  who  had  backed  out  of  his  prom- 
ise to  accompany  us  the  day  before,  and 
upon  seeing  us  come  home  alive  the  first 
remark  which  he  made  was  to  the  eflTect 


that  now  he  was  convinced  tliat  the  In- 
dian belief  and  legends  were  pure  inven- 
tions. 

November  4. — (Ireat  excitement  and 
confusion.    1  had  no  visitors  to  day. 

.November  3. —  This  l>eing  Sunday 
ipiite  a  number  were  at  Mass,  I  availed 
myself  of  the  opportunity  to  speak  again 
against  their  sui)erstitions  and  bring  in  a 
few  items  aliout  our  trip  to  the  moun- 
tain, anil  finished  by  exhorting  them  to 
abandon   their  old   Indian,  pagan  belief. 

After  Mass  one  of  the  chiefs  invites 
the  tribe  to  his  house,  where  speeches 
are  made  by  all  the  most  induential  men, 
who  exhort  their  frienils  to  hold  on  to 
the  old  faith  and  pagan  customs  In 
proof  of  their  being  on  the  side  of  truth 
they  give  as  a  proof  the  loss  of  my  New- 
foundland dog.  'I'he  priest  was  not  hurt 
and  came  bai  k  alive  because  he  is  a 
bachelor  and  continent. 

November  6. — Having  sent  a  couple 
of  liulians  to  look  ;i'ier  my  dog,  with  the 
promise  of  a  pair  ol  blankets  in  case  they 
can  bring  him  back  alive,  the  brute  is 
brought  home  in  sound  condition. 

The  Indians  say  very  little,  but  I  no- 
tice that  their  minds  are  not  calm. 

November  10.  It  is  reported  that  the 
leaders  of  the  tribe  are  using  all  means 
in  their  power  to  keep  their  intluence 
over  the  people,  and  are  making  speech 
after  speech  to  the  young  men  to  stick  to 
the  old  practii  es. 

1  am  having  a  great  time  here.  I  no- 
ticed before  now  that  when  the  Hishop 
appointed  me  to  come  to  this  coast  I 
was  getting  charge  of  a  great  parish. 
Their  superstitions  are  so  numerous  and 
so  absurd  that  they  are  almost  incredi- 
ble. Just  think  of  it!  they  won't  al- 
low us  again  to  have  any  salmon  for  fear 


mi 


46 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


I  ;!l 


that  I  might  fry  it  in  lard,  or  boil  it  in 
an  iron  pot  !  I  will  t,'et  the  bettor  of 
them  anyway — to-morrow  I  will  go  out 
fishing  myself,  if  the  weather  permits. 

November  ii.  —  I  asked  a  couple  of 
boys  to  come  with  me  and  have  a  canoe 
ride  on  the  bay.  I  took  along  a  line 
and  a  spoon  bait.  Before  speaking  of  my 
good  luck  1  must  first  state  that  yester- 
day I  had  sent  a  young  man  for  a  salmon 
and  had  paid  three  fishhooks  for  it.  Ihe 
owner  of  the  salmon  was  out  at  the  time, 
so  the  messenger  simply  told  the  woman 
in  the  house  that  he  was  taking  one  of 
the  "  sacred"  fish  for  the  priest  and  in 
due  time  he  gave  it  to  me.  However, 
when  the  owner  of  the  salmon  came 
home  ho  was  told  that  one  was  missing. 
He  at  once  called  three  of  his  friends  to 
accompany  him  to  my  house,  and  seeing 
the  now  famous  salmon  about  to  pass 
under  the  knife,  he  sprang  forward,  took 
it  away  and  throwing  to  me  the  three  fish- 
hooks he  went  his  way  growling. 

This  upset  me  so  much  that,  as  said 
above,  I  resolved  to  go  out  fishing  my- 
self. 

As  soon  as  I  f-ot  away  from  shore  with 
my  boys  I  threw  out  a  line  and  spoon- 
bait, when  lo  !  after  a  few  minutes  we 
caught  a  fine  large  salmon.  1  did  not 
care  to  get  any  more  and  so  1  returned 
to  the  village. 

L'pon  landinii,  I  called  the  dog  and 
putting  the  salmon  into  a  basket,  whi(  h 
mode  of  carrying  such  fish  was  against 
the  rules,  the  brute  took  the  basket 
up  and  preceded  me  home.  Of  course 
no  Indian  would  attempt  to  molest  the 
large,  faithful  animal.  (Juite  a  number 
of  men  and  chiefs  assemliled  in  my 
house,  and  protested  against  mv  using  a 
knife  or  frying-pan.  I  took  no  notice 
of  their  protestations  and  proceeded 
with  my  work,  my  only  aim  i)eing  to 
show  that  their  superstitions  were  absurd 
and  to  try  by  all  and  every  means  to  get 
them  to  give  'hem  up. 

Noveiulier  14. — .\  young  man,  Claw- 
ish.  has  gone  out  to  the  inlet,  a  great 
place  for  salmon,  and  proposes  to  let  us 


have  some  in  spite  of  the  oi)position   ot 
the  tribe. 

Toward  evening  a  cou])ie  of  young 
men  come  to  the  house  with  some 
salmon.  I  notice  that  the  head  is  cut 
off.  and  the  fish  split  o|)en — jjerhajjs  too 
the  fish  is  not  fresh.  I  send  them  o(\ 
with  my  C()m])liments,  for  1  have  been 
told  that  the  superstitious  observances 
are  only  ajiplied  in  the  case  of  fresh 
salmon  not  yet  beheaded  or  <'ut  open. 

November  20.  — Clawish  brings  us  a 
supply  of  fresh  salmon.  It  is  "asy  to 
notice  the  feelings  of  indignation  of  the 
old  people,  but  they  are  afraid  to  do 
more  than  make  a  few  remarks  of  re- 
monstrance, owing  to  the  presence  ot 
seven  white  men,  who  have  just  arrived, 
and  projiose  to  go  prospecting  to  Mache- 
lat  Arm  for  gold,  and  on  our  peninsula 
for  (  oal. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  tribe  the  chiet 
speakers  predict  famine  for  the  rest  of 
the  winter. 

November  25. — After  a  spell  of 
stormy  weather  the  sea  has  become  calm 
and  the  Indians  have  gone  out  fishing. 
The  salmon  is  abundant — hundreds  of 
the  large  fish  are  brought  to  the  camp. 

November  30. — A  second  meeting  of 
the  chiefs  took  jilace  last  night.  W  hen 
everyone  was  in  lied  one  of  the  ciiiefs 
sent  a  messenger  to  awaken  all  the  in- 
ferior chiefs  and  call  them  to  his  h()u>e. 
The  great  subjei  t  anent  the  salmon  was 
discussed,  most  of  the  men  inclining  to 
give  u])  the  superstitions  and  make  peace 
with  the  "  priest." 

"Tom-Sick  i.epieds."  a  famous  old 
cripple,  and  a  notorious  thief  and  rascal, 
is  arrested  by  the  local  Indian  police- 
men. He  is  at  (used  and  found  giiiltv  of 
stealing  an  old  blanket,  a  piece  of  to- 
bacco and  one  yard  of  Indian  beads. 
He  was  condemned  by  the  chief  con- 
stable to  pay  a  fine  of  two  new 
blankets,  within  one  week  from  date. 
If  not  paid  within  the  time  mentioned, 
Tom  is  to  return  to  the  comtroom  of 
the  Mission-house,  and  submit  to  having 
his  hair   c.l^   off  and    his   head  shaven. 


X'ancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


47 


ing  of 
When 
h  let's 
e    in- 
ouse. 
an  was 
ng   to 
1  xMce 


us  old 

rascal, 
olice- 
ilty  of 
of  to- 

beads. 
cf  con- 

o    now 
date. 

Uioned, 

oom   of 
liaviiiii 

shaven. 


'M 


The  theft  was  committed  during  Mass 
on  the  occasion  of  the  lilessing  of  the 
church. 

Hecember  3. — I  went  to  Barclay- 
Sound  with  six  men  in  an  Indian 
canoe,  according  to  orders  received 
from  His  Lordship,  Bisiiop  Seghers. 
I  made  arrangements  with  ths  1  Indians 
ot  that  Sound,  about  establishing  a 
mission.  The  spot  which  1  sdecttd 
is  Xamukamis,  the  jiroperty  of  the 
Ohiat  Indians. 

I'pon  my  arrival  here  early  in  the 
morning,  we  noticed  quite  a  m'^iber 
of  people  sitting  before  the  hou..es  as  is 
their  wont. 

One  of  them  got  uj)  and  made  a 
speech.  My  guides  told  me  that  he 
was  insulting  us  ami  objet  ted  to  our 
landing;  that  they  wanted  no  iiriest 
and  could  take  care  of  themselves 
without  the  help  of  the  white  men. 

We  had  noticed  on  our  travels  that 
the  Indians  on  this  coast  have  a  horror  of 
having  what  they  say  written  down.  So 
I  ifuietly  took  a  j.ocketbook  and  jire- 
tended  to  write  down  the  gist  of  the 
savage's  speec  h.  Whcreujion  he  stopped 
at  once  and  disappeared  behind  one  of 
the  houses.  We  then  ijuietly  laiid-.ti. 
were  invited  to  enter  the  lodge  of  the 
chivf.  and  were  kindly  rec  eivcd  by  him 
and  his  tainily. 

.Ml  the  Indians  assembled  in  the  chiet"s 
large  house  about  noon,  and  after  bap- 
tizing the  newly  born  children  1  e.\i)lained 
to  the  meeting  the  object  of  my  vi>it. 

The  Indians  n-joiced  at  the  idea  of 
liaving  a  residei.t  i)riest  in  their  ncigli- 
boriiood  antl  the  i  hief  told  us  so  in  a  ne.tt 
speech,  adding  that  we  could  have  all  the 
land  \\i'  reipiireil  t"(jr  the  jmrpose.  and 
make  our  own  sclei  tion  as  to  locality. 

1  tecember  2  i ,  r])on  my  return  home 
Rev.  bather  .\i(  olaye  reports  c\crythiiig 
ordcriv  in  Hesquiat. 

l>ecember  j6.  Wc  had  midnight 
Mass.  Nearly  all  the  men  of  the  tribe 
were  present,  but  only  very  few  wonuii. 
.\t  midnight  Mass,  which  I  sang  myself, 
J  [ireached  on  the  m\stery  of  tlie  day. 


\\     l^l'IAN     llor.-K    .Wh    iiOMK   (IF    lis 


.NANIS. 


!>eceinber  27.  The  young  m(,'n,  I 
am  veliabiy  intdrmed,  are  all.  with  very 
few   e.Mejitions,  doing  the   ' '  oseniecli." 

1  he  oseniecli  (or  osciiielcli  1  is  ,i 
religions  practice  resorted  to  by  all  the 
Indians  of  this  coast,  and  is  <  onsidered 
to  be  of  the  greatest  im])ortance  and 
necessity,  (t  i-  a  mode  of  praying,  trans- 
mitted from  one  generation  to  another. 

After  ini|uiries  made  of  iiilTi.'rent  indi- 
viduals I  discovered  that  the  Indians  do 
not  ali  ha.e  the  same  uav  of  iiertoiniing 
this  religious  practice.  \'et  they  all 
I  onsider  it  nere»ar\'  is  a  preparation  tor 
e\er) thing  of  great  iuiportam  e,  b.?  it  tho 
Ininl.  the  wai.  or  llie  like 

Ihev  addros  .i  iii\sti  rioi  being — 
one  tlie\  call  ■  •  \\'a-v\e-me'  le,"  nho 
dwells  o\e.  the  moi.'iitains — 10  hint  they 
pray  tbi  wliaies,  m  a  otters,  seals,  bears 
and  the  ,ike. 

Kwa-yetsiiiimi  is  the  favorite  ot  the 
medicine  mi'ti,  and  all  the  people  ha\e 
rei  oursi.'  to  him  tor  liealth. 

W  e'.i  Kwaitliume.  to  he  strong  and 
successful  at  war- — to  be  t(r;ive  and  over- 
come their  enemies. 

The\    ii.iM:   also   one-    whom   the\    ad- 


flmM 


'ill 


4S 


\'ancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


dress  to  give  them  abundance  of  fish  and 
is  called  U'awitt-illsois. 

When  the  sun  rises  and  just  before  he 
sets,  young  mothers  pray  to  that  orbit  for 
a  hajipy  delivery  at  childbirth.  One  of 
the  main  rules  to  be  observed  is  to  go 
inside  the  house  just  before  sundown  and 
not  to  go  out  again  for  fear  of  harm. 
The  moon  is  also  prayed  to.  Hut  orie 
man  told  me  that  his  uncle  who  initiated 
him.  made  him  pray  to  a  being — not 
mentioning  the  name  or  locality  of  its 
existence — who  had  it  in  its  power  to  give 
him  sea-otters,  seals,  etc. 

When  they  are  at  sea  in  l)ad  or  dan- 
gerous weather  they  pray  to  a  queen 
"Wakoui'' — in.  above  rr  beyond  the 
seas.  They  ascribe  to  hei  the  heaving  or 
swelling  of  tiie  waves.  Then  they  shout 
out  to  her  asking  her  to  cause  the  waves 
to  calm  down. 

With  some  Indians  the  "oseniecli" 
is  a  very  severe  performance.  I'hey 
fast  four  (lays,  are  up  at  night  and 
dive  in  the  sea  four  times  each  night, 
four  different  times  at  a  turn,  and  as  they 
rise  above  the  waves,  they  speak  out  in 
shout-like  utterances  asking  for  sea-otters 
or  the  like  that  they  may  become  rich 
or  big  chiefs.  <  )thers  have  only  two 
nights  on  the  sea,  and  they  confine 
themselves  to  swimming  and  praying 
as  above.  Others  again  do  not  take  to 
the  salt  water  at  all. 

But  bathing  in  fresh  water  is  recpiired 
by  all  and  in  all  cases — by  some,  four 
days;  others,  only  two — however,  every 
one  goes  in  turn  apart  from  the  tribe  and 
the  company  of  his  friends  to  pray. 
As  a  rule  the  savage  goes  to  the  woods, 
strips  naked  alongside  of  a  stream  or  a 
clear  pool  of  water  and  then  rubs  his 
body  with  a  kind  of  grass,  of  brushwood 
or  roots,  leaving  in  manv  cases  the 
marks  on  his  body  and  not  seldom 
drawing  blooii  from  his  cheeks  and 
chest.  The  number  of  bunches  of  this 
"charm"  varies  according  to  the  in- 
structions received  from  the  one  by 
whom  he  has  been  initiated.  During  all 
the  time  that  he  rubs  his  body  and  mem- 


bers thereof  he  constantly  repeats  in 
short  shout-like  accents  a  formula  of 
prayer  expressing  the  object  he  prays  for, 
be  it  sea-otters,  seals,  health,  bravery 
or  what  not. 

You  will  often  find  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  where  the  Indian  goes  to  pray 
a  skeleton,  bunches  of  charms,  of  weeds 
put  together  in  a  bunch  and  also  small 
cedar  sticks  put  up  to  represent  a  man 
with  a  spear  in  his  hands  aimed  at  a 
bunch  of  fern-roots  or  the  like,  repre- 
senting a  fur  seal. 

Then  the  savage  has  in  his  house  his 
own  medicine  (charm),  which  he  keeps 
sacred  and  uses  as  circumstances,  in  his 
opinion,  call  for.  He  keeps  them  from 
the  view  of  other  Indians,  hides  them 
with  care  and  only  in  e.xtreme  cases, 
such  as  the  dangerous  sickness  of  a  child, 
does  he  make  a  display  of  them.  One 
of  our  Indians  the  other  day,  either 
through  pride  or  with  some  other  object 
in  view,  perhaps  the  a|)peasing  of  the 
bad  spirit  who  was  in  his  sick  little  boy, 
exposed  his  ■•  charms''  before  .' ll  those 
present  in  his  house — the  subject  was 
very  much  talked  about. 

The  charms  which  the  Indians  koej) 
concealed  are  the  bones  of  dead  jeople, 
also  hair,  nails  of  the  hands,  beaks  of 
birds,  feathers,  etc..  etc. 

I  know  an  Indian  who  went  sealing  the 
other  day,  and  as  he  left  he  opened  the 
coflin  of  an  old  woman,  cut  or  plucked 
out  one  or  both  of  her  eyes,  put  them  in 
his  i)Ocket  and  when  he  arrived  at  the 
sealing  ground  he  took  them  in  his  hands 
and  rubbed  his  face  with  them  in  the  re- 
gion of  his  eyes  as  a  means  to  best  clear 
them  and  discover  fron>  a  great  distance 
the  seals  as  they  were  sleeping  on  the 
waves. 

When  the  Indians  do  the  "oseniecli" 
they  have  recourse  to  a  great  many  ways 
besides  those  mentioned  above  ;  but  thev 
all  amount  to  veiy  much  the  same  thing 
and  can  all  be  ranked  under  the  name  of 
sui)erstitious  prac  tices.  The  old  people 
preach  strict  continence  to  the  young 
men  ;  and  none,  who  do   not  live  apart 


"?r 


\  ancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


49 


from  their  wives,  can  cx|)t'ct  to  be  suc- 
cessful in  the  ])ursuit  of  whales  or  fur 
seals.  .As  a  iireparation  the  time  hmit  is 
tell  months  for  whales  and  five  calendar 
months  for  fur  seals.  This  mode  of  living 
is  only  to  be  given  up  when  the  huntinj; 
season  is  at  an  end. 

In  order  to  avert  evil  the  Indians  have 
recourse  to  different  means.  On  the  occa- 
sion of  an  eclipse  I  have  known  them 
to  throw  baskets  of  food  into  the  sea.  at 
the    same    time    uttering    a    formula    of 


Hesquiat  Indians,  who,  comin.u  from  the 
inlet,  brou^^ht  the  news  of  chief  Nitaska's 
death.  Nitaska,  although  not  the  head 
chief  of  the  tribe,  was  considered  as 
the  most  intkiential  man  here  and  was 
renowned  all  along  the  coast.  He  was  a 
fine  orator. 

.At  the-  rei|uest  of  the  messengers  we 
rang  the  church  bell  and  in  a  few  min- 
utes nearly  all  the  men  of  the  tribe  were 
at  the  mission  buildings. 

The    excitement   was  immense.     The 


in 
le 


e 
he 


lys 
ev 

of 
)le 

art 


I 


i 


J- 


.'^«-^^w:*;^ 


>!*-■ 


■(>r^^r-y-:-J 


iK    rc>^  I  r\ii.-. 


prayer, 
at  se;i. 
waves  : 


1  h.neal  .,  unfavoralile  weather 
seen  them  throw  food  on  tin- 
heard  them  blow  a  whistle  \\hi(  h 
the\'  use  on  the  occasion  of  the  '•  wolf 
festivities,  .\fter  a  bad  dream  about  a 
child,  the  parents  of  the  child  paint  its 
face  red,  burn  a  blanket,  cali(  o,  prints  or 
something  ot  the  kind  to  appease  the  bad 
spirit  or  their  divinity. 


shouting  and  the  unearthly  (  ries  of  the 
jieople  at  this  unusual  hour  of  the  night 
frightened  both  women  and  children. 

Directly,  spee(  hes  began  to  follow  the 
first  excitement.  'I'hey  all  amounted  to 
the  same  sentiment:  "  Nitaska  is  not 
dead,  for  he  has  children."  The  man  is 
sup])Osed  to  have  been  swamped  as  he 
passed  in  his  canoe   too  close  to  a  well- 


January    10,    1S77.      .About    midnight    known  whirlpool,  where  several    Indians 
we  were  called  uji  by  about  half  a  do/en    are  said  to  have  been  drowned. 


!i! 


if 


|i 


li     \v 


5" 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


January  ii. — Nitaska's  death  is  a 
great  event  in  this  region.  AH  the  tribe 
are  crying  and  genera!  gloom  hangs  over 
tne  village.  The  dead  man  was  evidently 
a  great  favorite  and  very  much  liked. 

As  for  us,  we  consider  his  death  almost 
a  blessing  for  our  work.  The  man's  in- 
fluence was  too  great  and  he  was  nclined 
to  work  against  us  as  regards  the  conver- 
sion of  the  people. 

The  Indians  say  that  his  body  is  not  in 
the  salt  water  because,  if  it  were  in  the 
sea,  there  would  not  be  any  herring, 
whereas  to-day  there  are  immense  schools 
of  the  fish  uj)  the  inlet. 

Availing  themselves  of  the  state  of 
mind  of  the  Indians,  three  medicine- 
women  go  into  tran(  es  and  ])redict  the 
death  of  the  second  chief  of  the  tribe. 
This  gives  his  parents  considerable  un- 
easiness. 

This,  1  am  told,  is  an  old  dodge  of  that 
class  of  impostors.  Their  object  is  to 
get  presents  from  the  relatives  or  parents 
of  those  whose  death  tho\-  predict — which 
being  given,  death  does  not  occur  I 

January  24. — One  medicine-woman 
caused  a  deal  of  excitement  in  the  tribes 
this  morning.  She  just  came  out  of  the 
tent,  her  head  covered  with  down,  danc- 
ing and  shaking  her  head  as  one  who  has 
fits,  and  meanwhile  spitting  out  mouth- 
fuls  of  blood.  In  this  state  she  rushes 
into  the  homes  of  the  three  first  chiefs, 
predicts  death  for  the  sons  of  the  fami- 
lies and  causes  general  alarm.  One  of 
the  families  gives  her  a  blanket,  another 
a  bladder  of  whale  oil;  Ixit  the  third,  more 
sensible  than  the  others,  takes  no  notice 
of  her  doings.  At  last  she  retires,  to 
the  great  relief  of  the  credulous. 

January  27. — ( )ne  Indian  iiaving  died 
after  a  few  days  of  sickness,  the  cause  of 
his  death  is  explained  as  follows  :  his 
dog  (the  (lead  man's  dog)  was  a  few  days 
previous  sleejjing  alongside  of  his  mas- 
ter. .Nt  daylight  the  dog  went  outside 
and  began  to  iiowl.  .  .  A  tew  days  later 
the  man  took  sick  and  soon  died.  Hence 
tlie  cause  of  his  death  is  ascribed  to  the 
howling  of  liie  tlog. 


January  28.  —  Subsequent  to  the 
drowning  of  Nitaska  a  short  time  ago, 
Townissim,  the  father  of  the  would-be 
murderer.  Matlahaw,  got  into  unexpected 
trouble.  Nitaska  was  the  leader  of  a  crew 
who  had  taken  the  old  chief  I'ownissim 
to  the  police  authorities  in  Victoria.  He 
was  a  rival  of  the  first  chief,  Townissim, 
and  had  been  instrumental  in  capturing 
him  and  removing  him  to  jail. 

The  old  people  ever  since  the  death  ot 
their  favorite,  Nitaska,  felt  very 
morose,  and  some  of  the  most  wicked 
spread  the  news  and  attributed  the  acci- 
dent to  the  fact  that  chief  I'ownissim, 
ever  since  his  return  from  Vouil.  had 
constantly  prayed  for  the  death  of  Ni- 
taska. Hence  they  secretly  resolved  to 
kill  him  !  But  secrets  among  Indians 
are  likely  to  leak  out,  and  so  ii  happened 
in  this  case. 

i'he  plan  for  killing  I'ownissim  was 
very  simple.  A  day  was  determined,  a 
Sunday  after  High  Mass.  A  feast  was 
announced  to  take  place  in  one  of  the 
houses;  ill  the  Indians  were  to  be  pres- 
ent; whilst  they  would  be  eating,  a 
daring  old  warrior  was  to  get  up  without 
warning  and  stab  the  old  chief;  that  was 
to  be  a  signal  lor  others  to  get  up  and 
stab  him  to  deatii. 

Just  before  Mass  a  young  Indian,  a 
relative  of  the  chief,  walked  into  my  house 
downhearted  and  looking  despondent. 
He  told  me  about  the  events  that  were  to 
take  place  and  jileaded  lor  my  interfer- 
ence. 1  sent  for  the  old  (  hief  and  can 
tioned  him  against  going  to  tin;  enter- 
tainment. I  need  hardly  add  tliat  lie 
stri(  Uy  followed  my  instructions. 

Next  I  sent  for  the  man  i  Tsokwit) 
who  was  to  connnit  the  murder  and  put 
him  on  his  guard.  He  did  not  deny  his 
evil  intentions  and  that  of  the  tribe. 
But  after  a  good  deal  of  reasoning  he 
])romised  that  he  would  not  connnit  the 
crime.  1  iowever,  the  old  (  hief  more  than 
ever  abstained  from  ijoing  out  alone  after 
dark.  And  .then,  whether  liay  or  night, 
he  always  carried  a  weapon  concealed 
under  his  clothes. 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


51 


March  i. — VWcr  since  the  beginning 
of  last  month,  with  the  exception  of  the 
last  three  days,  the  Indians  have  been 
unable  to  go  out  fishing  and  have  suf- 
fered very  much  from  hunger.  This 
circumstance  I  made  use  of  to  make  the 
Indians  understand  that  the  idea  that 
chiefs  will  send  food — whales  or  fish — to 
their  relatives  from  the  other  world  after 
their  de.ith  was  absurd.  Nitaska  was  a 
great  chief  and  yet  sent  no  whale  or  food 
to  his  starving  Hesquiat  relatives.  I 
am  almost  losing  patience  and  use  every 
opportunity  to  impress  on  their  minds 
the  idea  that  they  will  have  to  renounce 
their  old  i)agan  belief. 

March  8. —  There  arrived  here  last 
night  four  Kyu(|uot  men  on  a  very  im- 
portant errand.  As  they  walked  into 
our  Indian  room,  they  jjrcsented  a  most 
alarming  appearance.  Their  faces  were 
painted  bla(  k  with  a  red  <  ircle  around 
their  eyes.  Their  only  covering  was  a 
piece  of  blanket  around  their  waist  and 
in  their  hands  they  held  Indian  muskets 
pointed  as  if  ready  for  shooting.  They 
were  followed  by  a  number  of  my  Hes- 
quiat Indians,  who  were  suspicious  of 
evil  designs  on  the  part  of  the  visitors, 
and  were  prepared  for  any  emergency. 
<  »ne  of  the  strangers,  acting  as  spokes- 
man, jdaced  the  butt  of  his  gun  on  the 
floor  and  held  it  with  one  hand  whilst 
with  the  other  he  made  indescribable 
ge-Uires.  Then  his  chest  began  to  heave, 
and,  i)anting  for  breath,  he  at  last  spoke 
out  in  a  loud  coarse  voice.  He  had  big 
news  to  tell.  His  son,  a  lad  whom  I 
knew  well,  was  missing.  The  report  had 
it  that  whilst  on  hi^  way  from  Tugct 
Sound  to  his  home  in  Kyu(iuot,  his 
canoe  had  lapsized  when  off  one  of  the 
Nittinat  villages  at  the  tntrane  e  of  the 
Straits  of  Kuca.  Thence,  having  reached 
shore  alive,  he  and  three  of  his  compan- 
ions had  traveled  on  foot  with  the  object 
of  reaching  one  of  the  ( )hiat  villages  near 
Jian  lay  Souiid.  This  wis  only  a  report, 
but  the  speaker,  the  father  of  the  young 
man  and  a  very  intlueniial  man  at  home, 
was   of    o|)ini(>M   that   iiy   this    time   his 


young  son  was  with  the  Ohiat  Indians. 
This  idea  seemed  to  have  a  great  effect 
on  the  state  of  his  mind.  However,  he 
added  that, if  his  son  had  been  maltreated 
by  the  Nittinat  Indians  or  killed  by  them, 
two  hundred  warriors  of  the  Kyuquot 
tribe  would  come  on  the  warpath  and 
avenge  the  death  of  the  young  (  hief. 

The  four  men  here  now  are  a  de- 
tachment of  a  crew  of  twenty  men  now 
camped  at  Vamis  and  detained  by 
head  winds.  They  intend  to  walk  back 
to  the  spot  where  they  left  their  friends 
and  then  sail  to  the  Nittinat  coast,  as 
soon  as  the  weather  allows. 

March  2()th. — This  day  is  marked  by 
a  welcome  change  in  the  condition  of 
the  natives.  Since  the  5th  of  the  month, 
the  Indians  had  been  unable  to  go  fish- 
ing and  had  very  little  food  in  their 
houses.  They  were  a(  tually  starving  and 
their  little  children  crying  for  food.  \'ou 
can  see  the  misery  on  the  faces  of  both 
old  and  young.  The  oldest  people 
assert  that  within  their  memory  they 
have  never  been  in  such  a  state  of  dis- 
tress. To-day,  the  weather  being  fine, 
an  abundance  of  herrings  and  salmon 
are  brought  to  the  camp. 

.\s  regards  the  spiritual  state  of  the 
tribe  it  is  worse  than  ever.  They  blame 
me  tor  the  absence  of  food.  'They 
laugh  at  the  doctrine  which  I  teach.  I 
gain  nothing  by  making  the  sign  of  the 
Cross.  I  am  neither  a  white  man  nor 
an  Indian.      1  am  the   (  Chig-ha  1  devil  ! 

Man  h  25. — 'This  day,    I'aim  Sunday. 


1 

i 

n 

. — ^1 

— ■* 

^■^l|    Nl,      INI'I  \N       M'  'I  III-  k. 


■it 


52 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


Rev.  Father  Nicolaye  left  after  Mass 
for  Marclay  Sound  (I'cluliat),  there  ;o 
join  a  schooner  which  is  soon  expected 
to  sail  from  thence  to  N'ictoria.  Com- 
plaints of  illness  are  the  cause  of  his 
departure.  I  am  under  the  impression 
that  the  poor  father  is  not  really  sick, 
but  is  sick  at  heart  to  see  the  dis- 
couraging state  of  affairs  here.  .And 
indeed  our  ])Osition  would  almost  make 
an  angel  lose  heart  and  courage.  Soli- 
tude, we  have  not  seen  a  white  man 
since  October  ;  we  have  not  received 
any  mail  for  several  months  ;  our  pro- 
visions are  nearly  all  gone  and  .vhat 
remains  is  of  the  poorest  kind.  And 
our  Indians  are  as  bad,  and  as  much 
attached  to  their  pagan  ideas  and 
superstitions  as  before  we  commenced 
our  work  and  took  up  our  residence 
here.  Father  Nicolaye  left  me.  (lod 
bless  the  i)Oor  man  and  restore  him  to 
health! 

I  am  now  again  alone  with  not  a 
friend  to  speak  to  .' 

March  30.— There  is  some  rejoicing 
in  the  camp  since  this  morning,  when  a 
canoe  of  visitors  brought  the  news  that 
there  was  scarcity  of  provisions  and  a 
great  deal  of  distress  in  all  the  villages 
on  the  coast.  When  our  Indians  meet 
with  misfortune  they  always  feel  much 
relieved  when  they  hear  that  others  of 
their  class  have  met  with  misfortune  also. 
Hence,  my  ])eople  feel  good  to-day,  be- 
cause they  have  not  alone  suffered  for 
want  of  provisions,  but  other  tribes 
have   fared  as  badly  as  they  tjiemscives. 

April  2<S.-— Rev.  leather  Nicolaye  ar- 
rived back  from  N'ictoria  about  midni-rht 
per  Indian  canoe.  He  seems  to  be  coi.\- 
pletely  recovered. 

He  brought  orders  from  the  15ishop 
that  1  must  leave  at  once  and  report  in 
the  episcopal  city,  where  asvnod  is  to  l)e 
held. 

The  canre  which  brought  the  fiither 
took  me  to  Clayatpiot  where  I  found  the 
schooner  "Anna  Heck,"  Douglas  War- 
ren in  command. 

May  15.  —  1  arrived  back  at  the  mission 


to-day  about  noon.  With  the  exception 
of  Father  Nicolaye  all  the  priests  of  the 
diocese  were  present  at  the  synod. 

May  20. —  lo-day,  Pentecost  Sunday, 
all  the  Indians  are  at  Mass,  save  three 
men  and  a  few  women.  As  I  had  told 
them  on  I'.aster  Sunday  that  I  would  call 
on  this  day  for  the  names  of  those  who 
would  be  baptized,  I  received  ninety-four 
men  and  women  on  the  list  of  candidates 
for  baptism.  It  is  evident  that  the  move- 
ment is  too  general  to  be  worthy  of  con- 
fidence. .\1I  the  medicine-men  and 
women  offer  themselves  as  candidates 
for  instruction  as  a  preparation  for  the 
sacrament  of  regeneration. 

January  5,  iSycS. — I  arrived  here 
yesterday  from  Namukamus,  Barclay 
Sound,  where  I  had  been  since  the  24th 
of  last  August,  superintending  the  build- 
ing of  a  new  mission  to  be  dedicated  to 
Almighty  God,  under  the  patronage  of 
St.  Leo  the  Great. 

Before  leaving  for  the  N'ukon  River, 
.Vlaska  Territory,  the  Right  Rev.  C.  |. 
Seghers  commissioned  me  to  go  and 
superintend  the  building  of  the  new 
mission.  Consecjuently  I  left  Hesi|uiat 
at  the  end  of  July,  and  went  to  X'ictoria 
in  order  to  make  the  necessary  prejjara- 
tions  and  engage  a  reliable  carpenter. 
Rev.  Father  Nicolaye,  for  whom  the  new 
mission  was  to  be  built,  remained  mean- 
while in  Hesquiat,  and  attended  to  my 
Indians  and  work  there. 

I  left  Victoria  on  the  schooner 
"  l-avorite,"  Hugh  McKay  captain,  on 
the  23d  of  .August,  accomjjanied  by  a 
French-Canadian  carpenter  called  Mor- 
rin,  and  arrived  the  next  day  in  a  small 
bay  on  Copper  Island  opposite  the  Sarita 
\alley  and  river.  From  there  we  went 
and  carried  in  canoes  our  provisions  and 
tools,  and  selected  a  spot  for  the  build- 
ings close  to  the  Namukamus  Village. 

( )ur  first  work  was  to  put  up  a  small 
cabin,  12x12  feet.  'This  was  to  be  our 
residence  for  over  four  months.  'The 
walls  of  our  cabin  were  made  of  flooring, 
the  rool  of  flooring  and  the  floor  was 
mother-earth.       .\s    it    hapi)ened,    the 


I 


'^V 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


55 


weather  turned  out  to  be  very  moist. 
For  three  months  we  were  hving  as  if  in 
a  cloud  :  it  rained  day  and  night.  It  soon 
appeared  that  our  roof  was  not  close,  the 
water  freely  streaming  through  the  crev- 
ices, and  as  the  wind  occasionally  blew 
quite  lively,  we  soon  found  out  that  our 
walls  were  not  much  of  a  ])rotection 
against  the  dampness  of  the  season.  Our 
cabin  was  built  on  a  slope  and  the  water 
streaming  from  the  hill 
above  found  its  way  to  the 
I'acific  Ocean  over  our  un- 
covered floor.  No  wonder 
that  our  carpenter  would 
make  the  remark  now  and 
again:  "that  only  for  our 
strong  constitutions  we 
could  not  stand  it." 

My  work  was  to  look 
after  the  Indian  laborers 
and  do  the  cooking.  We 
had  a  bunk  on  each  side  of 
the  cabin,  a  stove  in  the 
middle,  and  a  small  table 
and  a  l)ench  at  the  end  of 
the  room.  I'nder  the 
bunks  we  stowed  our  pro- 
visions—ba(  on,  potatoes, 
rice  and  beans.  The  tlour 
we  kept  in  a  small  barrel  as 
a  protection  from  the  mice 
which  infested  our  odd 
dwelling.  I  made  bread  as 
often  as  required.  The  In- 
dians we  fed  on  biscuit  and 
molasses.  One  morning, 
having  neglected  to  cover  the  bucket  in 
which  we  kept  our  molasses  over  night, 
I  found  twenty-four  mice  drowned  in  the 
sweet  stuff.  I  carefully  pi(  ked  them  out, 
unseen  by  the  Indians,  who  afterward 
continued  to  enjoy  their  molasses  and 
biscuit  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  'I"he 
Indians,  unaccustomed  to  a  white  man's 
food,  enjoyed  their  fare  immensely,  i'he 
carpenter  also  was  satisfied  with  my  culi- 
nary efforts,  and  altogether  we  had  rather 
a  pleasant  time. 

W'e  s(|uared  the  ic^sfor  the  new  build- 
ing which  was  64x26   feet;    twenty   feet 


being  walled  off  for  the  residence  of  the 
priest  in  charge.  The  work  of  the  Indi- 
ans consisted  in  cutting  down  the  trees, 
next  picking  them  with  their  axes,  and 
after  the  carpenter  had  fmished  s<|uaring 
them,  taking  them  down  to  the  site  of 
the  building.  We  found  all  the  timber 
which  we  re(iuired  on  the  spot.  We 
even  made  the  shingles  ourselves — and 
w  ith  the  exception   of  the   flooring  and 


I  IlKFK    MAilll- I  A  I     M  \||i|'.N>. 

window  cases  no  lumber  was  used  from 
the  saw  mills.  It  was  slow  work,  yet  it 
was  pleasant  to  see  a  lot  of  wild  men  at 
work  and  to  hear  from  morning  till  night 
the  noise  of  the  axe  or  hammer  in  this 
wild  part  of  the  world. 

1  said  the  f  rst  Mass  in  the  new  build- 
ing on  Christmas  Day,  and  Rev.  I'ather 
Ni(olaye  huviiig  arrived  at  his  new  resi- 
dence on  New  Year's  Kve,  I  left  on  the 
second  day  of  the  year  for  Hesfpiiat  in 
the  canoe  which  had  brought  my  former 
assistant  to  his  new  field  of  labor. 

From  the  beginning  of  this  year  all  the 


II    I  ■ 

I 


54 


\'ancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


It 


Indians  of  Barclay  Sound  and  down  to 
Port  San  Juan  inclusive  will  be  attended 
to  from  St.  Leo's  Mission,  of  which  Rev. 
1'.  J.  Nicolaye  is  the  first  resident  pastor. 

Hefore  taking  charge  of  his  new  mis- 
sion of  Barclay  Sound,  Rev.  Father  Nic- 
olaye gave  me  a  short  account  of  the 
conduct  of  the  Hes(|uiat  Indians  during 
my  five-months'  absence,  of  which  the 
following  is  a  synopsis. 

He  continued  to  preach  Sunday  after 
Sunday  against  the  Indians'  superstitious 
worship  and  the  Indian  medicine- men. 
He  to'd  them  that  none  could  expect  to  be 
baptized  except  they  would  first  abandon 
their  superstitious  practices.  In  a  mo- 
ment of  fervor  forty  men  and  women 
resolved  to  comply  with  the  conditions 
and  gave  in  their  names.  Before  ten 
days  had  elapsed  ten  of  the  number  had 
transgressed  the  rules.  In  a  few  days 
more,  sickness  having  broken  out  in  the 
settlement,  recourse  was  freely  had  to 
the  medicine-men  and  women.  In 
short,  when  he  left  for  his  new  mission 
only  seven  had  remained  faithful.  The 
struggle  between  good  and  evil  is  very 
great.  The  old  people  are  most  de- 
termined to  frustrate  our  plans  of  con- 
verting the  tribe.  Two  of  them — Ksko- 
wit  and  ICagakom — have  declared  that 
they  will  kill  the  priest  in  case  their  sons 
come  to  die  with  sickness  without  having 
consulted  the  medicine-men  or  women 
— that  is,  if  they  have  acted  at  the  insti- 
gation of  the  priest. 

A  young  man — Xagokwit — one  day 
entered  the  house  and  began  to  abuse 
Father  Nicolaye.  Next  he  raised  his 
hand  to  strike  the  Father,  but  he  was 
pushed  back  and  prevented  from  (  arry- 
ing  out  his  desi^jn  by  some  friendly  In- 
dians who  happened  to  be  ])resent. 

January  13. — ( )n  the  feast  of  the 
]^l)iphany  very  few  Indians  were  at 
Hesi|uiat,  almost  all  the  tribe  beini;  at 
the  time  fishing  at  the  head  of  the  inlet. 

The  weather  being  better  last  Sunday 
all  the  men  came  to  Hesquiat  to  at- 
tend church  ;  there  were  also  t|uite  a 
number  of  women. 


It  is  evident  that  the  people  would 
like  to  be  good  and  become  Christians, 
but  their  prejudices  are  too  strong  yet 
and  their  superstitions  too  deeply  rooted. 
I  notice  that  the  leaders  against  us  and 
those  who  follow  their  instructions  most 
closely  are  ashamed  of  themselves  ;  most 
of  them  keep  out  of  my  way  alto- 
gether. 

The  few  who  are  preparing  for  bap- 
tism are  young  men  and  three  young 
women.  The  old  people  are  once  more 
holding  up  their  old  superstitions  as  re- 
gards the  winter  salmon.  There  was  a 
row  on  account  of  some  of  the  most  rea- 
sonable threatening  to  use  their  iron  pot 
as  a  utensil  for  boiling  fresh  salmon. 

January  22. — A  dead  whale  was  found 
on  the  beach  this  side  of  Estevan  Point. 
It  is  cut  up  by  the  natives  who  reside 
here  at  this  time  of  year — every  one  helps 
himself  the  best  way  he  can — almost  all 
the  chiefs  and  the  rightful  owners  of  a 
share  of  the  big  fish  are  absent  at  the 
inlet — these,  upon  hearing  the  news  of 
the  stranding  of  the  fish  hurry  to  Estevan 
Point,  l)ut  find  that  very  little  is  left  for 
them.  This  greatly  enrages  them  and 
trouble  is  imminent.  However,they  con- 
fine themselves  to  going  from  house  to 
house  and  taking  away  all  the  blubber 
they  come  across.  This  amounted  to 
very  little,  for  the  thieves  had  concealed 
the  principal  part  of  their  booty  in  the 
bush  with  the  expectation  of  fetching  it 
home  when  the  excitement  is  over. 

January  25. — I  am  informed  that  most 
of  the  blubber  of  the  famous  whale  is  now 
being  boiled  and  the  oil  pressed  out 
away  in  the  bush. 

March  i. — Since  the  middle  of  Janu- 
ary there  has  been  great  scarcity  of  food. 
Owing  to  the  easterly  gales  which 
comnieiK  ed  last  October  and  which 
have  not  been  interrupted  by  fair  weather 
exce'it  tor  a  few  da\s  about  New  Year's, 
the  Indians  all  along  the  coast  have  been 
unable  to  go  out  fishing.  As  the  natives 
of  this  coast  have  no  food  except  fish, 
and  several  tribes  had  been  unable  to 
lay  in   a    [irovision    of  dry   salmon    last 


ilti. 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


55 


season,  it  follows  that  those  tribes  are 
almost  starving — and  all,  without  excep- 
tion are  very  hard  up.  The  second  chief 
of  thie  tribe,  a  nice  young  fellow,  came 
to  my  house  to  day,  about  noon.  He 
told  me  in  a  pathetic  tone  that  my  dog 
had  entered  his  iiouse  and  had  taken 
away  a  i)iece  of  whale  blubber,  the  only 
food  there  was  left  for  him  and  his  pa- 
rents, and  asked  me  to  lend  him  some 
flour  so  that  they  might  have  a  decent 
meal  for  a  day  or  two.  The  flour  was 
given  with  a  good  heart  and  the  jioor 
fellow  went  away  rejoicing.  I  find  it 
very  luird  and  painful  to  see  the  suffer- 
ings of  these  people  for  want  of  food. 

-March  3. — The  state  of  the  weather 
becomes  more  satisfactory  and  the  In- 
dians avail  themselves  of  it  to  go  out 
fishing.  Any  amount  of  salmon  is 
caught  in  the  inlet  and  at  Hesquiat. 

The  su])erHtitions  are  as  strong  as  last 
year.  The  old  people  are  desperate  and 
most  abusive  against  anyone  who  ven- 
tures to  trangress  the  old  customs.  I>ut 
([uite  a  few  of  the  young  people  do  not 
mind  them. 

March  1 1 .—  To-day  a  young  fellow  was 
whipped  by  the  police  for  running  away 
with  his  uncle's  Indian  wife. 

March  14. — The  Indians  are  drying 
salmon.  This  was  never  done  before  on 
this  coast.  The  Indian  basket  is  also 
used  to  carry  the  famous  fish  to  the 
houses  from  the  canoes.  The  number 
of  those  who  got  over  the  superstitions 
regarding  the  winter  salmon  is  so  great 
that  the  advocates  of  the  ancient  i)rac- 
tices  give  up  in  despair  the  idea  of  trying 
to  keep  them  alive  any  longer. 

A  canoe  arrives  from  ('layo(piot  and 
reports  the  Indians  of  those  parts  in  very 
great  distress,  owing  to  the  lack  of  food. 

One  of  their  number,  the  Juggler,  who 
claims  the  power  to  make  the  herring 
Hock  to  their  harbor  by  incantations  and 
superstitious  means,  finds  himself  disap- 
pointed, not  one  herring  having  thus  far 
been  seen  in  the  neighborhood.  A  few 
days  ago  he  ordered  the  Indians  out  in 
their    canoes,     having    noticed,    as    he 


thought, by  the  appearance  of  immense 
flocks  of  sea-gulls,  that  the  herring  was 
coming  in  shore.  He  claimed  credit  for 
this  I'veiit,  but  in  the  evening  the  canoes 
came  back  disappointed.  Hence  his 
father  and  his  nearest  relatives  in  public 
speeches  put  the  blame  on  one  vicious 
young  fellow  who  last  year  had  crushed 
with  a  stone  the  hea<l  of  a  fresh  herring  ! 

.April  15. — This  beautiful  weather  ot 
the  last  two  weeks,  and  which  will  con- 
tinue fine,  puts  an  end  to  the  destitution 
of  the  Indians.  There  is  an  abundance 
of  salmon,  codfish,  halibut,  rock  cod, 
etc. 

The  women  had,  since  the  beginning 
of  the  famine  through  bad  weather  and 
rain,  gone  out  to  their  different  fern  and 
wild  clover  jjatches  to  dig  up  fern,  clo- 
ver and  other  roots  for  the  food  of  their 
families.  Now  they  look  happy  and  con- 
tented as  they  cut  up  the  fish,  hang  it 
up  to  dry  in  the  sun  or  prepare  it  for 
the  use  of  their  households. 

April  14. — I  received  this  morning 
intelligence  of  the  death  of  Po])e  Pius 
IX. — R.  1.  I*. — -and  the  accession  to  the 
pontifical  throne  of  Leo  .\III.  The  late 
Pope  died  February  7. 

.\pril17.  —  There  was  an  Indian  mar- 
riage to-day  :  this  is  not  the  first  or  moj  t 
important  since  I  resided  here.  The  mar- 
riages of  the  Indians  of  this  coast  are  ar- 
ranged b\  the  parents  of  the  young 
people;  at  least  this  is  the  gene'-al  rule. 
( 'lirls  who  have  both  parent:;  alive  I're  pre- 
ferred to  orphan  girl^^,  and  the  daughters 
of  chiefs  or  wealtiiy  pco])le  are  generally 
preferred  to  those  of  inferior  Indians. 
The  fact  is,  the  Indian  is  esNentially  a 
speculator.  The  parents  of  tiie  young 
man  are  in  tavor  ot  a  girl  who  has 
both  ])arents  alive  because  they  hope  that 
these  parents  will  continue  to  support 
their  daughter  by  giving  her  presents, 
clothing  and  other  useful  auicles.  In 
many  cases  the  wisii  of  the  young  man  is 
not  nuK  h  considered.  He  is  told  by 
his  parents  or  guardians  that  they  are 
going  to  jiropose  to  a  certain  girl,  and, 
as   a   rule,    he    consents.      Then    (om- 


i 


56 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


nieiK  L's  a  nuinlKT  of  secret  visits  of  the 
elders,  small  articles  are  given  as  pres- 
ents, good  luiinor,  kindness,  arc  all  had 
recourse  to,  when  at  last  the  jiarents  of 
the  would-he  benedict  invite  the  girl's 
parents  and  nearest  relatives  to  a  sump 
tuous  meal  If  the  secret  has  leaked  out 
they  almost  invariably  decline  the  invi- 
tation ;  but  the  food,  in  all  cases  most 
abundant,  is  then  carried  to  their  houses. 
Sometimes  it  is  returned,  in  case  the  jjirl 
is  to  be  refused  and  no  union  is  to  take 
place,  in  other  cases  it  is  ])artaken  of, 
but  yet  the  news  reaches  the  |)arents  of 
the  boy  that  tiieir  i)lans  are  to  be  frus- 
trated, and  another  article,  generally  of 
food,  is  returned  to  make  up  for  that 
already  consumed.  If  the  invitation  is 
accei)te(l  or  the  food  distributed  to  the 
nearest  relatives,  it  is  a  sign  that  there 
will  be  a  marriage. 

Shortly  after  the  i)reparatory  step,  two 
or  three  imi)ortant  men  go,  still  on  the 
sly,  and  make  more  open  proposals.  If 
no  answer  is  given,  it  is  a  good  and 
favorable  sign.  Without  much  delay 
(juite  a  crowd  of  the  most  important  men 
approach  the  girl's  parents  or  guardians, 
and  speak  plain  and  open  language  that 
everybody  may  listen  to.  It  consists  of 
first  extolling  the  dignity  and  importance 
of  the  relatives  of  the  future  bride  and 
then  giving  a  word  of  recommendation  in 
the  same  vein  to  the  would-be  bride- 
groom. 

.Sometimes  an  answer  is  given,  but  as 
often  the  speakers  are  (piietly  told  to  re- 
tire to  their  houses.  This  means  that 
the  matter  is  settled.  The  girl  very  often 
is  not  consulted,  but  it  is  almost  sure 
that  she  will  not  live  with  the  young 
man  except  she  feels  like  it.  Threats, 
entreaties  and  all  kinds  of  means  will 
have  no  effect  in  many  cases  on  even 
young  girls  when  they  have  made  up 
their  mind  to  marry  somebody  else.  \ei 
the  marriage  ceremony  must  take  i)lace 
if  the  parents  have  not  positively  refused 
their  assent  to  the  union. 

It  commences  by  a  crowd  of  people 
gathering  on  the  beach  and  walking  in 


the  direction  of  the  house  of  tlie  girl's 
parents  or  guardians,  'i'hey  advance  to 
the  measure  of  the  tambourine,  the 
women  covered  with  feathers  and  their 
faces  painted.  They  all  sing  some  of 
their  old  songs,  and  now  and  then  one 
or  more  of  the  women  raise  their  voices 
above  all  the  surrounding  "  vacarm  " 
and  unearthly  noise.  They  stand  for  a 
moment  on  their  heels  and  swing  their 
bodies  about,  at  the  same  time  stretch- 
ing out  their  arms,  over  whic  h  hang  their 
red  and  colored  blankets,  and  then  they 
proceed  to  their  destination.  To  the 
looker-on,  from  a  distance,  it  presents  a 
savage,  yet  an  attractive  scene. 

.\t  last  they  all  stop  before  the  bride's 
residence,  or  the  house  where  the  union 
is  to  be  declared  and  contracted.  One 
of  the  important  men  acts  as  orator. 
I'or  hours  and  hours  he  stands  at  the 
head  of  the  crowd,  his  face  turned 
lowardsthe  residence  of  the  girl's  parents. 
He  talks  and  talks,  mentioning  the 
reasons  why  and  how;  the  noble  deeds 
of  the  forefathers:  the  importance  of  the 
clan  :  Call  it  flattery?  W  hy,  in  most 
cases  it  is  rank  untruth.  Iiut  never 
mind,  his  obie(  t  is  to  jjlease,  and  he 
must  obtain  it.  I  have  seen  them  and 
heard  them  two  and  three  days,  talking 
all  the  while  before  a  house,  whether 
there  was  anybody  in  it  or  nc^t.  To  a 
civili/ed  being,  it  was  the  greatest  enter- 
tainment possible. 

While  this  is  going  on,  one  of  the  men, 
from  time  to  time,  walks  up  to  the  door 
of  the  house  and  places  one,  two  or  more 
l)lankets  before  it.  Then  there  is  a  dis- 
cussion, and  again  more  blankets  are 
presented.  The  nearest  relatives  are  in- 
cluded in  the  recipients  of  presents. 

At  last  it  all  fniishesby  the  word  being 
passed  that  the  girl  is  given  to  the  boy 
to  be  his  wife  and  a  stop  is  i)ut  to  the 
ceremonies. 

The  age  at  which  Indians  marry  varies, 
but  it  is  an  unusual  case  when  a  young 
woman  is  not  married  1  efore  she  is  sixteen 
years  old.  Many  of  ihem  are  joined  in 
wedlock  at  thirteen  and  fourteen  years. 


\  ancoiivtr  lslaii<l  and  lis  Missions 


57 


1 


ti 


' 


■i\ 


;'  ! 


58 


Vancouver  Islaiul  anil  Its  Missions. 


The  young  men  now  marry  when  they 
are  about  sixteen  or  seventeen  years 
old,  but  I  am  told  that  in  the  past  it 
was  the  custom  to  postpone  looking  for 
a  wife  for  a  young  man  who  was  below 
twenty  or  twenty-two  years. 

As  said  above,  the  girls  are  not  openly 
consulted  in  matrimonial  matters  ;  their 
mothers,  however,  or  aunts,  or  other 
near  relatives  are  generally  informed 
privately  and  do  a  great  deal  of  persuad- 
ing or  dissuading  of  the  future  bride  as 
regards  accepting  as  a  husband  the  one 
on  whose  behalf  the  advances  are  made. 
When  the  contracting  ceremonies  are 
over,  it  soon  leaks  out  whether  the  girl 
will  consent  to  live  with  her  husband. 
If  not,  you  will  see  on  the  face  of  the 
latter  finger-nail  scratches,  or  on  his  back 
a  torn  shirt,  or  other  marks  or  expres- 
sions that  his  new  life  is  a  hard  one,  and 
that  in  an  attempt  to  make  love  to  her, 
who  is  supposed  to  be  his  wife,  he  has 
met  with  resistance  and  even  hard  treat- 
ment. This  sometimes  lasts  for  weeks, 
and  then,  after  a  worse  scene  than  ever, 
the  young  man  packs  up  and  returns  to 
his  own  home. 

It  is,  however,  unusual  to  have  a  union 
broken  off  so  peremptorily.  In  most 
cases  it  is  only  a  bluff.  Indians  are  very 
touchy,  and  in  matrimonial  cases  they 
are  very  much  determined  that  their 
friends  shall  not  find  an  occasion  to  jeer 
at  them  for  having  been  lett. 

So  then,  after  a  time,  new  :  ances 
are  made  and  a  number  of  the  most  inti- 
mate friends  of  the  discarded  husband 
go  in  a  body  to  the  parents  of  the  girl, 
make  more  speeches  and  especially  more 
presents  to  the  relatives  of  the  girl, 
when,  in  all  likelihood,  the  favorable 
answer  will  be  given  again.  .\nd  so  it 
goes  on  till  the  girl  finally  consents  or 
gives  unmistakable  signs  that  she  for- 
ever repudiates  the  idea  of  becoming 
the  wife  of  the  young  man  whom  she  has 
discarded  from  the  beginning. 

The  IF('(/(////i^  Fi'tisfs. — When  a  favor- 
able answer  has  been  obtained  the 
father   or    guardian  of  the    young  man 


sends  a  number  of  presents,  especially 
articles  of  food,  to  the  parents  of  his  new 
daughter-in-law.  Without  much  delay, 
the  tribe  are  invited  to  a  feast  of  food, 
at  the  end  of  which  it  is  announced  to 
all  present  that  the  occasion  of  the  feast 
i.'  the  marriage  of  his  daughter,  the 
food  having  been  sent  by  the  guardians 
of  his  new  son  in-law.  Meanwhile,  the 
young  wife  has  been  entertained  at  a 
choice  meal  by  her  new  parents-in-law, 
after  partaking  of  which  she  returns  to 
her  parents'  home.  These,  in  their 
turn,  a  day  or  two  later,  take  their 
daughter  to  her  new  home  and  deliver 
her  over  to  her  husband,  at  the  same 
time  making  suitable  presents  of  food, 
which  are  also  partaken  of  by  the  whole 
tribe.  Comphments  are  passed  during 
the  meal,  and  general  rejoicings  are  en- 
gaged in.  In  the  evening  especially, 
the  Indians  assemble  in  the  house  where 
the  young  people  reside,  and  sing  and 
dance,  and  have  a  general  good  time. 

It  is  always  understood  in  the  minds 
of  the  Indians  that  in  case  no  offspring  be 
born  to  the  newly  married  couple  it  will 
be  in  order  for  the  young  man  to  sepa- 
rate from  his  wife  and  contract  a  new 
alliance.  This  is  also  the  case  where 
children  are  born, but  die  soon  after  birth. 
.All  Indians,  without  distinction,  want  an 
heir,  and  the  old  people  especially  will 
discard  a  daughter-in-law  who  is  not  the 
mother  of  at  least  one  grandchild. 

June  18. — There  was  one  peculiarity 
about  the  marriage  that  took  place  yes- 
terday. The  young  man  for  whom  the 
ceremonies  were  gone  through  was 
absent  in  Nootka  Sound  during  the  per- 
formance, and  he  knew  only  upon  land- 
ing that  he  is  now  a  married  man. 

When  marriages  are  contracted  be- 
tween parties  of  different  tribes  the  cere- 
monies are  about  the  same,  save  that  the 
strangers  come  in  their  canoes,  which 
they  ornament  with  a  symbol  of  son.e 
kind  having  reference  to  old-time  ideas, 
or  legends  or  important  facts. 

A  singular  case  came  to  my  notice 
with  reference  to  a  marriage  of  two  par- 


Vancoiivrr  Islaiul  ami  Its  Missions. 


59 


tics  of  (lifferent  tribes.  I  hey  were 
already  married  two  days  and  the  man 
had  not  yet  spoken  to  hi:  wife  ;  in  fact, 
he  did  not  know  which  girl  he  was  mar- 
ried to  I 

July  29. — Having  made  a  trip  to  \'i<- 
toria  where  I  arrived  June  20,  Feast  of 
Corpus  Christi,  I  just  returned  and  am 
sorry  to  learn  thai  during  my  absence 
the  greatest  disorder  has  reigned  in  the 
camp.  Some  of  the  young  men  who,  as 
I  thought,  were  preparing  for  baptism 
were  among  the  leaders. 

September  i. — I  have  just  made  a 
trip  to  Djeklesat,  and  Mar  tribes — the 
Kyuquots,  the  largest  Indian  settle- 
ment on  the  coast,  were  absent  at  (Juat- 
sinogh.  I  saw  only  a  few  of  then-  and 
wa-  informed  that  the  tribe  is  very 
orderly  and  the  people  very  anxious  to 
have  a  resident  priest. 

September  15. — I  went  to  Barclay 
.Sound  and  saw  Father  Nicolaye  at  Namu- 
kamis.  The  Father  seems  to  be  making 
good  headway  amongst  the  Ohiat  Indians. 

With  regard  to  the  Hescjuiats  I  must 
say  t'lat  there  is  now  not  one  Indian 
le*"t,  eii'.er  man  or  woman,  who  has  re- 
maiui  d  faithful  to  the  conditions  laid 
down  as  a  preparation  to  baptism.  Some 
have  altogether  returned  to  their  super- 
stitious practices,  whereas  the  others  are 
very  unruly  in  different  other  ways. 

<  )ctober  6. — .\  dead  whale  is  found 
on  the  beach  at  "  Hole  in  the  Wall." 
The  Indians  belonging  to  the  outside 
camp  bring  the  news  to  Hescjuiat.  The 
finding  of  a  dead  whale  by  the  Indians 
is,  as  we  have  seen,  always  an  occasion 
of  great  disturbance  and  trouble  ;  and 
this  is  not  an  exception.  .\n  Indian 
called  Manako-ah  in  protecting  his  piece 
received  a  bad  cut  on  the  arm  from  a 
young  man  called  Xayokwit. 

November  7. — From  all  accounts  I  am 
gaining  in  the  esteem  of  the  Indians,  in 
their  meetings  my  name  is  seldom  men- 
tioned with  the  angry  feelings  that 
it  was  last  year.  The  motive  may 
be  that  they  have  experienced  that 
giving    fish   of    every    description    and 


transgressing  their  old  pagan  rules  does 
not  affect  their  success  at  fishing  The 
young  men.  however,  ar».  as  usual  ad- 
dicted as  ever  to  the  superstitious 
mischief  called  "osenitcli."  Sou  can 
read  it  in  their  countenance,  the  skin 
having  been  rubbed  off  by  the  use  of 
theii  charms. 

November  16. — There  was  a  severe 
thunder-storm  to-day.  There  is  now  a 
light  seen  in  the  direction  of  the 
inlet.  It  is  so  similar  to  the  light  of 
a  vessel  that  most  of  the  Indians  take  it 
to  be  the  light  of  some  vessel  in  distress. 
A  canoe  went  out,  but  was  driven  back 
by  the  storm. 

November  17. — The  light  of  yester- 
day turns  out  to  be  the  light  of  a  bush 
fire  caused  by  lightning.  This  is  taken 
as  a  proof  that  the  thunder  is  not  a  bird, 
as  birds  do  not  make  fires  ' 

The  fiict  is  there  was  ijuite  a  discus- 
sion in  my  house  about  the  thunder  yes- 
terday. The  Indians  maintain  that  it  is 
an  immense  bird — the  thunder-binl. 
One  of  the  young  men  told  me  that 
Koninah,  the  third  chief,  was  in 
possession  of  one  of  its  wing-feathers.  So 
I  sent  for  the  feather,  but  the  young 
fellow  came  back  disappointed,  the  chief 
having  stated  that  he  had  not  nor  ever 
had  had  such  a  feather.  The  noise  of 
the  thunder  is  explained  by  the  fact  that 
the  thunder-bird  takes  hold  of  a  whale 
and  in  a  struggle  with  the  monster  of  the 
deep  causes  all  the  thundering  reports. 

The  lightning  is  a  reflection  of  the 
bird's  eyes  which  it  opens  and  closes  in 
rapid  succession.  Others  have  it  that 
the  neck  of  the  bird  is  surrounded  by  a 
being  (  He  etlik)  of  the  shape  of  a  snake 
which  breaks  loose  and  inflames  and 
goes  about  scattering  what  we  call  the 
lightning.  Others  again  say  that  the 
light  comes  from  under  the  wings  of  the 
bird  which  becomes  visible  as  the  bird 
flaps  its  wings. 

January  26.  1879. — Archbishop  Se- 
ghers  arrived  here  very  unexpectedly  a 
few  days  ago.  He  brought  authentic 
news  that  he  is  to  go  to  ( )regon  as    Co- 


'1' 


Hi 


6o 


V^ancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


;    I 


ill 


■  I 


adjutor   iinn  jure    siicccssioris-  of  Arch- 
bishop Ulanchet. 

Upon  arriving,  the  Archbishop  told 
me  that  he  had  come  to  baptize  my 
Indians.  I  replied  that  none  were  fit  to 
receive  the  sacrament.  He  insisted, 
and  in  u..  '  to  avoid  all  further  contro- 
versies I  resigned  for  the  time  being. 
<onfining  myself  to  the  office  of  cooking. 
After  a  couple  of  days  he  commenced  to 
see  that  it  was  premature  to  speak  of 
baptism  to  most  of  the  people.  He 
thought,  however  that  it  was  wrong  to 
be  over-exacting,  both  as  to  knowledge 
and  conduct,  and  to-day  ten  Indians, 
six  men  and  four  women,  received  the 
sacrament  of  regeneration  at  the  hands 
of  the  new  Archbishop  of  Oregon. 

All  the  Indians  were  present  and  the 
long  ceremonies  of  the  Ritual  were  fol- 
lowed. 

January  27. — Archbishoj)  Seghers  left 
Hesquiat  in  an  Indian  canoe.  I  ac- 
com]ianied  him. 

I'ebruary  9. — We  stopped  a  day  in 
Ahousat,  where  we  assembled  all 
the  Indians  in  the  chief's  house. 
As  usual  the  Ahousats  were  very 
noisy,  but  withal  very  friendly.  We 
l)assed  the  other  tribes,  going  direct  to 
N'amkaniis,  Barclay  Sound,  where  we 
met  the  Rev.  Father  Nicolaye.  On 
Sunday  the  Bishop  blessed  the  new 
church  of  St.  Leo.  The  weather  was 
very  stormy  and  most  of  the  Indians 
who  were  living  on  Copi)er  Island  were 
unable  to  come  across,  (^uite  a  few  of 
the  men  were,  however,  present. 

I  arrived  home  with  my  Indians,  hav- 
ing left  the  Bishop,  who  is  on  his  way  to 
Victoria,  and  thence  to  Portland,  Ore., 
in  the  house  of  Father  Nicolaye. 

I  have  just  returned  from  \'ictoria 
where  I  have  made  my  usual  purchases 
of  clothing  and  provisions  for  the  next 
twelve  months.  Nothing  unusual  has 
occurred  these  last  three  or  four  months. 
Upon  my  return  home  I  learned  that 
several  of  the  Indians  baptized  by  .Arch- 
bishop Seghers  have  returned  again  to 
their  pagan  practices — only  three  or  four 


have  remained  faithful.  As  I  had  fore- 
seen this,  it  did  not  upset  me  much — in 
fact  I  had  told  his  Grace  that  such  would 
be  the  case  ;  and  as  the  Indians  also 
mistrusted  the  would  be-Christians  it 
caused  very  little  scandal. 

They  are  now,  however,  watching  with 
some  concern  the  conduct  of  one  who 
was  supposed  to  be  sincere  about  his 
adopting  Christianity.  The  fact  is  his 
wife  has  just  given  birth  to  a  little  boy, 
and  every  one  watches  the  couple  to 
see  whether  they  will  not  have  re- 
course to  the  Indian  medicine- man  or 
women. 

Never  within  the  memory  of  even  the 
oldest  people  was  a  child  born  and  not 
at  once  taken  charge  of  by  one  or  more 
"sorcerers."  The  children  of  the  chiefs 
and  important  people  are  especially  sub- 
jected to  the  superstitious  treatment  of 
those  impostors. 

As  soon  as  the  child  is  born,  one  or 
more  are  invited,  or  invite  themselves  to 
handle  the  poor  little  ( reature.  A  woman 
who  expects  to  become  a  mother  soon 
will  be  sure  to  live  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  medicine- women,  or  at  least,  she 
will  move  to  where  she  ".an  have  easy 
access  to  them.  Up  to  now  the  Indians 
were  under  the  impression  that  a  child 
cannot  live  except  it  be  doctored  Indian- 
fashion.  There  is  no  word  to  express 
how  they  will  humble  themselves  and 
how  slavish  they  will  become  in  order  to 
secure  the  services  of  the  savage-doctor. 
If  a  young  man  is  the  son  of  a  medicine- 
man or  medicine-woman  his  chances  for 
marriage  are  far  superior  to  those  who 
have  no  such  dignitaries  in  theii  imme- 
diate household.  The  Indians  told  me 
that  to  become  Christians,  they  could 
give  u))  everything,  but  tlieir  "doctors" 
never  I 

The  services  of  those  impostors  are 
called  for  and  marie  use  of  at  all  times. 
Upon  the  birth  of  an  infant  several  of 
them  rush  to  the  place.  They  all  take 
hold  of  the  newly-born,  sing,  scpieeze  its 
little  bel'y,  pretend  to  cast  out  the  evil  one 
and  often  exhaust  the  little  one  to  death. 


""^l 


Vancouver  Island  antl  Its  Missions, 


6r 


I, 


It  requires  some  heroism  in  our  neo- 
])hytes  to  refuse  to  subject  a  new  born 
child  to  the  treatment  which  up  to  now 
was  considered  of  paramount  in>|)ortance 
by  ail  the  Indians  of  this  extensive  coast. 

July  2  1. — The  father  of  the  child  is  a 
determined,  good  man  ;  he  has  an 
amount  of  trouble  with  his  relatives  who 
all  want  him  to  take  the  "doctors." 
The  infant  is  a  weak  child  and  gives 
doubtful  signs  of  a  long  ?.'.\islente.  This 
gives  them  a  chance  to  find  fault  with 
him  ail  the  more.  Hut  he  does  not  mind 
their  suggestions  or  interference.  In  my 
own  mind  1  can  see  the  consequences  if 
the  infant  should  come  to  die  ;  never 
would  an  Indian  listen  to  us  again  under 
sir.iilar  circumstances ;  for  Indians  are 
exceedingly  fond  of  having  an  heir  and 
passionately  attached   to  their  offspring. 

I  make  daily  visits  to  the  newcomer, 
but  he  is  not  a  great  success  I — aind  as  he 
cries  a  good  deal  the  people  all  say  that 
it  is  because  the  evil  one  was  not  cast 
out  by  the  "  Sorcerers." 

August  28. — I  just  returned  from 
Kyuquot  and  other  tribes.  My  instruc- 
tions from  .\rchbishop  Sei',hers  on  the 
occasion  of  his  last  visit  were  to  feel  the 
pulse  of  the  Kyutjuots  with  regard  to 
having  a  priest  stationed  at  that  place. 
Part  of  the  Indians  had  moved  to  their 
river  stations  ;  however  the  chief  and 
several  of  the  most  important  men  were 
still  at  ".-\kties,"  their  summer  resi- 
dence. 

The  chief  not  only  told  me  that  he 
was  anxious  to  have  a  resident  priest,  but 
besides  promised  to  grant  ail  the  land 
reciuired  for  the  use  of  the  missionary, 
free  of  charge. 

Other  important  men  also  SDoke  and 
expressed  their  happiness  at  the  idea 
of  having  a  chance  to  have  their  ( hil- 
dren  properly  educated. 

My  opinion  ofthe  Kyu(|Uots  is  that  it 
will  be  hard  to  manage  the  old  people  : 
but  as  regards  hoys  and  girls,  of  whom 
there  are  hunareds,  I  consider  it  to  be 
the  very  fin-jst  mission,  not  only  on  the 
island,  but  in  the  diocese. 


December  3  — .\s  said  above,  the 
greatest  obstacle  to  the  conversion  of  the 
Indians  is  the  idea  that  they  will  have 
to  give  up  the  Indian  doctors  or  Sorcer- 
ers. I  know  a  young  woman  who  re- 
fused to  marry  a  young  man  because  he 
intended  to  become  a  Christian  ,  the 
idea  that  he  would  object  to  her  con- 
sulting the  Indian  "  doctors  "  both  for 
herself  and  children  made  her  reject 
his  advances  for  matrimony. 

The  Sorcerer  is  either  a  man  or  a 
woman — on  this  coast.  Very  few  men 
are  Sorcerers,  but  the  number  of  women 
'■doctors"  is  very  large.  In  some 
tribes  three-fourths  ofthe  women  and  in 
others  one-half  ora  third — nearly  all  the 
the  old  women — claim  some  special  talent 
in  that  line, 

I'he  Sorcerer  does  not  deal  in  drugs 
nor  use  medicine  for  his  patients.  He 
does  not  study  medicine  as  a  prepara- 
tion, b'.'t  he  is  put  up  to  become  a 
Sorcerer  by  some  relution  of  the  craft, 
or  sometimes  through  some  motive  of 
his  own. 

The  starting-point  is  either  a  dream 
or  a  so-called  vision  or  the  discovery 
of  something  unusual  in  hi.-:  wanderings 
on  the  beach  or  in  the  bush — -then  he 
will  feign  sickness  and  he  retires  to  his 
couch.  His  friends  \)retend  to  be  or  are 
really  alarmed.  .  .  .  He  suddenly  ut- 
ters deep  sighs  or  groans  :  does  so  repeat- 
edly :  then  he  jumps  ui>,  shaking  his  head 
— eyes  closed — and  intones  a  song  sup- 
posed to  have  been  taught  by  the  one  (a 
mysterious  being )  who  inspired  hiui  to 
become  a  Sorcerer. 

This  is  the  announcement  to  tiie  tribe 
that  they  have  a  new  Sorcerer.  The  cases 
may  dilTer  in  some  of  the  details,  but 
they  all  amount  to  the  same. 

We  have  one  here  just  iiow — the  first 
since  I  am  stationed  on  the  coast.  He  is 
a  young,  sickly  fellow  of  a  silent,  morose 
disposition.  He  is  the  last  Indian 
that  I  would  have  suspected  of  be- 
ing inclined  that  way.  liut  he  .'s  al- 
ways sick  antl  very  likely  he  tries  this 
dodge  to  get  welt  :  for  Indians  say  :hat 


m 


lli 


f- 


m 


t 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


! 


ii 


when  anybody  is  an 

invalid  he  will  re- 
cover at  once  by  be- 
coming a  Sorcerer. 
The  Indians  have 

been  talking  a  good 

deal  of  their   new 

"  doctor" ;  they  say 

that   he    pulled    a 

snake   out    of    hi? 

al)domen  and  that 

he  will  walk  on  the 

salt  water   as  if  it 

were       "terra 

firma."      1  hey  also 

say  that  he  walks 

on  the  branches  of 

trees  to  their  very 

extremity,  and  thus 

passes     from     one 

tree  to  another. 
As  I  always  strive 

to  draw  good  out  of 

evil,  so  I  tried  to  do 

in  the  present  case. 

Nothing  like  facing 

the  enemy — it  may 

be    hard   at    first, 

but   it  is  the  only 

way  to  convince  for 

the  future.  At  noon  all  the   Indians  of  the  tribe 

So     I    defied    the    hero    of    all     the    were  entertained  l)y  an  old  couple  and 

Indians'   talk.     And  on    Sunday    I  told    during  the  repast  they  were  unanimous  in 

them  what  I  thought  of  such  impostors    rejoicing  at  the  fact  of  having  a  new  med- 

and  of  those  who  take  their  part.  icine  man.     The   old  peo])le  t'specially 

Next     Sunday,    Nov.     9,    about   four    were  jubilant  and  availed   themselves  of 

o'clock  in  the  morning,  I  was  aroused  the  opportunity  to  commend  their  old 
from  my  slumber  b'  the  loud  voices  of  superstitions  to  the  rising  generation. 
Indians  and  the  noise  made  by  their  new  I  may  here  say  that  speculation  was 
Sorcerer.  He  was  on  the  top  of  a  tree  at  the  bottom  of  this  general  endorse- 
and  at  times  barked  like  a  dog  or  croaked  ment  by  the  tril)e  of  the  new  ' '  doctor. ' ' 
like  a  raven,  then  he  would  strike  up  a  lor  this  his  first  ai)i)carance  was  the 
song  or  work  his  rattles  to  attract  the  announcement  that  four  days  later  he 
attention  of  the  stupefied  savages.  would  make  a  gift-feast  to  the  tribe  and 

At  Mass-time  Michel,  the  head  of  the  those  who  praised  him  most  expected 
only  family  now  faithful  to  their  baptis-  to  be  the  most  favored  in  his  acts  of 
nml  promises,  came  to  see  me  in  a  des-    generosity. 

pondent  mood.  I  think  1  felt  as  bad  as  When  the  rejiast  was  coming  to  an  end 
he  did  himself,  but  I  composed  myself  the  lather  of  the  new  hero  went  into  the 
and  sang  High  Mass  as  usual  and  house  and  invited  all  those  present  to 
preached  on  the  Gospel  of  the  day.  follow    him    behind  one    of  the  houses, 


A    IIKSIJUIAT    HOY    AND    AN    K.1.1)KKI.V    MAIIAI'K    INDIAN. 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


63 


tie 

pe 
id 

1(1 


111 
|e 


where  his  son  would  ^ive  proofs  of  his 
extraordinary  powers, 

Michel  was  called  out  by  name.  Like 
a  man — a  determined  fellow,  as  he  al- 
ways was — Michel  got  up  and  all  the 
people  followed  him  outside,  expecting 
to  see  him  covered  with  confusion.  He 
put  his  hand  to  his  mouth  and  as  he 
walked  at  the  head  ot  the  crowd  he 
prayed   "  that  truth  might  triumph  !  " 

We  found  the  new  medicineman 
standing  at  the  foot  of  the  tree  on  which 
he  had  been  doing  his  performances 
since  the  early  ni^.ning.  All  the  Indi- 
ans arrived  on  the  spot  and  stood  around 
in  a  circle,  none  daring  to  approach  the 
awe  inspiring  juggler.  Michel,  however, 
being  called  upon  to  do  so,  went  up  to 
him.  We  at  once  noticed  the  prepara- 
tions that  had  been  made  and  showed 
before  all  those  present  that  the  initial 
step  of  the  would-have  supernatural  pow- 
ers was  an  utter  failure.  The  trick  con- 
sisted or  was  supposed  to  consist  in  the 
fact  that  the  Sorcerer  was,  by  incanta- 
tions, to  cause  the  lower  branches  of  the 
tree,  under  which  he  stood,  to  bow  down 
and  thus  enable  him  to  reach  them  so 
that  by  taking  hold  of  them  he  could 
climb  up  to  the  spot  where  he  had  caused 
the  admiration  of  everybody  in  the  early 
morning.  Michel  being  close  by  no- 
ticed hanging  from  the  lower  branches  a 
thin  string  which  was  not  sM])|)Osed  to  be 
there,  and  thus  the  trick  fell  through. 
One  would  think  that  the  people  upon 
noticing  that  they  were  imposed  upon 
would  walk  away  disgusted.  Hut  not  at 
all — their  boasting  changed  into  anger 
and  was  followed  by  most  unusual  excite- 
ment. 

Three  days  later  the  mediciiie-inaii 
made  a  gift  feast  (  i'otlach)  to  the  whole 
tril)e.  When  all  the  peojjle  were  assem- 
bled he  recommenced  his  wonderfui(  ! ) 
[)erformances.  Once  more,  Indian  Mi- 
chel was  called  upon  and  defied  by  the 
performer.  He  was  equal  to  the  oc(  a- 
sion,  and  before  long  he  was  advised  by 
a  thoughtful  friend  to  retire,  leaving  the 
whole  assembly  of  pagan  Indians  covered 


with  confusion.  The  feast  went  on  and 
I  was  glad  to  learn  that  my  good  and 
faithful  Indian  friend  came  in  for  many 
and  valuable  presents. 

I  have  written  the  above  details  with  a 
feeling  of  disgust,  but  they  will  show, 
when  paganism  and  superstition  have 
disappeared  from  this  coast,  the  blind- 
ness and  obstinacy  of  heathens,  before 
receiving  the  Gospel,  and  the  amount  of 
truth  there  is  in  the  ancient  saying, 
muntiiis  vitlt  decipi. 

I  have  been  asked,  "Are  there  real 
sorcerers  to  be  found  amongst  your 
people?  "  My  answer  is  :  If  there  are 
any  I  have  never  met  or  discovered 
them. 

January  27,  1880. — Very  extraordi- 
nary news  !  I  received  word  that  we 
have  a  new  Bishop.  I  received  indeed  a 
letter  dated  ( )ctober  from  Victoria  in 
the  handwriting  of  Father  Hrondel,  late 
of  Steilacoom,  Washington  Territory, 
inviting  me  to  go  to  his  Consecration, 
which  was  to  take  place  in  the  Cathedral 
of  Victoria,  H.C. ,  on  the  14th  of  De- 
cember of  last  year. 

February  25. — An  Indian  arrived  at 
the  Mission  from  Barclay  Sound  and  de- 
livered a  letter,  with  a  portrait  inclosed, 
of  the  new  Bishop  of  \'ancouver,  the 
Right  Rev.  J.  B.  Brondel,  D.I).  The 
new  prelate  expressed  his  astonish- 
ment that  I  was  not  present  at  the  great 
celebration  of  December  14th,  when  he 
received  the  mitre  at  the  hands  of  Most 
Rev.  Archbishop  Seghi'rs. 

A  great  many  events  take  place  and 
great  celebrations  in  the  Church  are  had, 
but,  although  1  would  be  happy  to  be 
present  and  witness  them,  I  must  forego 
the  pleasure  of  taking  part  in  them  owing 
to  the  hu  k  of  communication.  Our 
new  Bishop  will  after  a  time  understand 
the  situation  and  in  the  present  instance 
he  will  be  astonished  to  learn  that  it  was 
over  a  month  after  his  i  onsecration  that 
I  received  the  letter  of  invitation,  to  be 
present  on  the  great  occasion. 

April  20.  —  I  have  just  returned  from 
X'ictoria,  where  I  went  to  pay  my  respects 


'fJhl; 


64 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


ii 


Pi  ^M 


\   ■ 


to  Right  Rev.  J.  B.  Hrondel,  our  new- 
Bishop. 

This  visit  was  occasioned  by  a  very 
disagreeable  circumstance.  lOarly  in 
March  tlie  Indians  became  very  dis- 
satisfied and  troublesome.  The  old  people 
»v>,re  finding  fault  and  exciting  the  others 
at  any  and  every  chance,  i'hey  now  made 
up  their  minds  that  they  would  work  on 
Sundays  and  ignore  all  the  established 
rules.  First  they  came  to  ask  permission 
to  go  out  fishing,  and  as  they  pleaded 
scarcity  of  provisions,  the  weather  having 
been  very  bad,  I  allowed  them  to  go  out 
on  one  Sunday,  and  again  on  the  follow- 
ing. On  the  third  Sunday — there  being 
now  abundance  of  food  in  the  village — 
they  went  out  without  leave.  How- 
ever, when  the  bell  was  rung  for  High 
Mass,  they  all  came  on  shore  and  at- 
tended Mass.  I  warned  them  and  in- 
sinuated that  the  trangressors  ot  our 
Sunday  law  would  be  punished  ;  that  I 
could  not  punish  them  all,  but  that  the 
one  who  would  start  the  others  would  be 
the  sufferer.  .\fter  Mass  a  messenger 
came  to  tell  me  that  all  the  men  of  the 
tribe  were  preparing  to  pull  out  their 
canoes.  And  indeed,  upon  looking  out 
I  saw  about  thirty  canoes  in  a  line  and  on 
a  ce.'-tain  signal  being  given,  they  all 
pulled  out  together.  This  was  very  clever 
on  their  part,  for  I  could  not  punish  any 
single  starter,  as  they  all  started  together. 

However,  I  walked  down  to  the  beach 
and  I  noticed  that  not  only  the  men 
but  even  most  of  the  women  were  bent 
on  desecrating  the  Sunday.  ( )nly  two 
or  three  of  the  Indian  policemen  had 
remained  faithful.  With  their  assist- 
ance I  took  away  a  number  of  nets,  said 
a  few  words  to  the  leaders,  and  walked 
back  to  the  Mission.  On  my  way  a 
scuffle  took  place  between  the  police 
and  some  of  the  worst  of  the  lot.  I  his 
1  stopped  without  delay  and  without 
any  harm  being  done  save  the  tearing  of 
a  few  shirts  and  the  pulling  out  of  a 
handful  or  two  of  hair. 

When  I  got  home  1  tried  to  take  the 
matter  coolly.     Hut  how  could  I  ?     Here 


I  was  now  nearly  six  years  !  .And  only 
one  convert  and  two  or  three  decent 
fellows,  although  heathens,  besides  ? 
However,  the  .Apostles  Aired  still  worse, 
and  the  missionaries  in  China  and  else- 
where have  no  better  times.  Nothing 
like  persevering  and  fighting  the  matter 
through  ! 

Now,  then,  the  thought  struck  me  to 
leave  the  place  for  a  few  Sundays,  for 
what  could  I  do  were  the  same  trouble 
to  arise  again  the  next  Sunday?  I  was 
half  victorious,  as  ipiite  a  few  nets — the 
articles  most  necessary  for  the  herring 
season  now  on — were  in  my  possession. 

I  therefore  resolved  to  make  a  trip  to 
\'ictoria  and  see  our  new  Hishop.  His 
wise  counsels  and  a  talk  with  iny  fellow- 
priests  there  would  give  me  new  courage 
and  light. 

I  secured  a  crew  of  six  Indians,  and, 
as  usual,  we  travelled  in  an  Indian  canoe. 
The  weather  looked  fine,  but  at  this  time 
of  the  year  the  nights  are  very  cool  when 
one  must  sleen  outside  on  the  shore  or  in 
the  bottom  of  the  canoe.  And  yet  we 
could  expect  nothing  else  ;  for  the  next 
four  or  five  nights  we  would  be  compelled 
to  do  so.  When  we  came  within  sixty 
miles  of  \'ictoria  the  weather  was  bitter 
cold,  but  the  sea,  comparatively  speaking, 
smooth.  On  the  shore,  though,  there 
was  considerable  surf,  and  the  northerly 
wind  was  very  strong.  We  managed  to 
paddk  in  shore,  and  as  it  was  near  mid- 
night, my  men  concluded  to  make  a 
landing.  I  was  so  crippled  up  with  cold 
that  1  refused  to  go  on  shore,  and  pre 
ferred  to  pass  the  rest  of  the  night  in  the 
bottom  of  the  canoe. 

One  of  my  guides,  hearing  that  my 
feet  were  actually  freezing,  turned  about 
in  the  canoe  and  put  the  soles  of  his 
feet  to  those  of  mine.  This  had  the 
desired  effect  of  imparting  heat  to  my 
chilly  limbs  ana  making  me  feel  more 
comfortable,  for  the  feet  of  our  Indians 
are  always  warm,  even  when  they  walk 
barefooted  through  the  snow. 

1  was  aroused  very  early  by  the  (row- 
ing of  a  rooster  in  the  bush,  and  later  on 


\'ancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


6r 


••   1    IK      I  Al  IIKK    (i|       I  UK    MAN.  " 

I  was  amused  to  see  one  of  my  Indians, 
in  his  shirt  tails,  running  everlastingly 
after  the  lonely  rooster,  which  he  caught 
at  last  and  mercilessly  killed.  The  l)ird 
had  been  left  there  by  Indians  of  the 
neighborhood,  who  had,  1  suppose,  stolen 
hiiii  from  some  farmer,  and  left  him  there 
to  shift  for  himself,  and  who  were  ir  foggy 
weather  guided  by  his  fits  of  ( rowing,  as 
a  seafaring  man  is  guided  by  the  reports 
of  a  fog  horn.  We  cleaned  the  poster 
and  ate  him  at  breakfast. 

I  remained  in  \ictoria  three  days  \/ith 
the  new  Hishfip  and  the  ])riests  stationed 
there.  During  that  time  the  weathe.' 
had  rh.inged.  and  on  our  way  ba<  k  to 
the  coast  we  had  a  favorable  leading  wind. 

When  we  h-'d  made  a  little  over  a 
hundred  miles,  which  we  had  done  in 
less  than  three  days  and  two  nights,  we 
came  very  near  being  drowned  during  a 
most  severe  storm.    Moth  the  Indians  ami 


myself  had  given  up  ;  the  waves  were 
immense,  and  rising  like  mountains 
threatened  to  engulf  us  at  any  moment. 
We  all  lay  flat  in  the  canoe,  save  the 
man  in  the  stern,  and  at  times  our  frail 
skiff  stood  almost  perpendicularly  up 
and  down.  .At  last  we  got  on  shore, 
being  soaked  with  the  brine  of  the  sea. 
We  camped  on  a  small  island,  where  we 
found  a  good  supply  of  driftwood,  and 
there  wr  passed  the  night  under  /n 
belle  eioile,  and  as  1  lay  under  my  blan- 
kets I  wondered  at  the  myriads  of  stars 
and  admired  the  wonderful  works  of 
( lod,  and  after  saying  Jifiit'dirife  Stelhe 
Civli  Domino,  I  managed  to  take  .some 
very  much  needed  rest. 

Next  morning  the  wind  and  storm 
had  abated  so  that  we  could  make  a 
1  ttle  headway  and  jiass  the  day  in  an 
Indian  cami). 

Three  days  later  we  arrived  at  Hes- 
ipiiat,  where  the  Indians  were  becoming 
uneasy  on  account  of  our  prolonged 
absence. 

The  trouble  they  had  given  me  be- 
fore leaving  seemed  to  have    weighed 
heavily  on  their  minds,  and  I   was  re- 
liably informed    that  they  were  deter- 
mined   to    avoid    listening    to    the    evil 
counsels    of  their  wicked    leaders    who, 
without  exception,  are  all  old  men  and 
old  women. 

July  2S. — Right  Rev.  J.  I!.  Brondel 
made  his  first  ejuscopal  visit  to  the  coast, 
and  I  am  sorry  to  say  1  could  not  re|)ort 
omnia  f'ros/^i'ro.  The  liishop  si'emed  to 
be  (lisapjioiuted;  he  e\pe(  ted  to  re(  eive 
a  great  recejjtion  and  he  would  have  been 
receiveil  with  all  the  honors  due  to  his 
rank.  Rut  my  Indians  with  the  excep- 
tion of  one  family  being  still  pagans,  I 
thought  it  would  look  like  hypocrisy  to 
make  them  turn  out  and  act  as  Christian 
Indians  do  elsewhere  1  live  in  hopes 
that  the  time  may  yet  come  when  our 
Bishop  will  be  duly  received  here  by 
Christian  Indians. 

July  30. — The  Rishopcalk'd  hereon  Kis 
way  back  from  further  along  the  (  oast. 
He  was  accompanied  by  Father  Nicolaye, 


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Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


m 


and  upon  lariding  he  introduced  me  to 
the  Fathei  as  the  future  missionary  at 
Kyuquot,  sixty  miles  west  from  my  ^^is- 
sion.  Everything  was  arranged  and  the 
new  Mission  was  to  be  put  up  without 
delay. 

September  25. — These  Indians  are 
extraordinary  people  !  There  is  an  el- 
derly man  who  of  late  has  been  giving  a 
good  deal  of  trouble  to  some  of  his  old 
enemies.  Several  of  them  have  come  for 
protection  and  seem  to  be  really  alarmed. 
At  the  bottom  of  all  the  mischief  com- 
plained of  is  an  old  threadworn  blanket 
in  the  possession  of  the  old  man  ! 

The  Indian  in  question  is  a  very 
troublesome  individual.  He  has  the 
name  of  having  been  a  daring  warrior 
and  at  home  he  has  had  many  a  (juarrel 
and  fight  with  the  people  of  this  tribe. 
At  last  he  got  tired  of  black  eyes  and 
bruised  limbs,  and  so  he  had  recourse  to 
the  following  ruse  :  Early  one  morning 
he  came  back  from  a  long  walk  on  the 
seashore.  He  wore  as  usual  an  old 
blanket,  his  only  covering.  The  old  man 
was  frothing  at  the  mouth  and  his 
blanket  was  dripping  wet,  ap])arently 
with  blood.  He  called  his  friends  to- 
gether and  with  a  trembling,  hoarse, 
voice  he  told  them  that  at  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  settlement  he  had  come 
upon  a  strange  object ;  it  was  at  the  foot 
of  a  large  tree  and  it  was  bleeding  pro- 
fusely. Something  seemed  to  tell  him  to 
take  off  his  blanket  and  steep  it  in  the 
red  hquid.  He  impulsively  did  so  and 
left  the  spot  assured  that  he  had  now  in 
his  possession  a  ' '  charm  ' '  that  would 
render  him  invulnerable — an  object  that 
would  serve  him  to  defy  his  enemies, 
and  whether  at  home  or  abroad,  defeat 
them. 

I  had  often  heard  the  Indians  si)eak  of 
this  blanket  and  tell  me  that  the  wicked- 
ness of  the  children  of  this  man  was  to 
be  ascribed  to  the  fact  that  their  father, 
immediately  after  their  birth,  had  rolled 
the  blanket  around  their  tiny  limbs  and 
body  and  had  otherwise  besmeared  them 
with   juices   extracted   from    his  famous 


"charms."  Not  only  that,  the  blanket 
had  such  mysterious  qualities  that  it 
would  be  impossible  to  send  a  shot 
through  it  ! 

.\s  there  was  now  quite  an  excitement 
in  the  tribe  about  the  wonderful  blanket, 
in  order  to  destroy  any  further  belief  in 
the  obnoxious  article,  I  sent  the  men 
who  had  a  new  grievance  against  the  old 
fellow  to  tell  him  to  come  over  to  the 
Mission  and  see  me.  He  came,  but  did 
not  take  along  the  mysterious  covering. 
I  had  my  gun  in  my  hands  and  quietly 
told  the  poor  fellow  to  go  and  get  it,  that 
I  wanted  to  be  convinced  and  that  if  I 
could  not  pierce  a  hole  through  it  with 
my  gun,  the  Indians  would  be  justified  in 
looking  upon  it  with  awe  and  dread. 

There  w  ;re  now  t|uite  a  number  of 
people  around  to  be  witnesses  of  the  re- 
sults, but  of  course  it  all  ended  in  con- 
fusion on  the  part  of  the  old  man  ;  the 
others  after  some  discussion  returning  to 
their  homes  convinced  that  they  had  all 
along  been  imposed  upon. 

It  is  slow  work,  but  one  after  another 
the  dark  spots  in  the  Indians'  minds  are 
being  cleared  off.  A  few  more  proofs 
of  this  kind  will  go  a  long  way  to  make 
them  look  upon  the  old  Indian  yp.rns  with 
misgivings,  and  truth  will  at  last  prevail. 

There  is  general  feasting  going  on  just 
now.  The  festivities  are  called  "  Chook- 
wahu."  They  remind  one  of  the  feasts 
of  the  "  Mardi  (Iras"  of  Eurojje,  and 
from  time  to  time  are  indulged  in  by  the 
tribes  on  the  coast,  especially  during  the 
winter  season.  The  origin  and  the 
spirit  of  this  feast  are,  1  think,  the  same, 
although  some  of  the  details  di(Ter.  in 
the  several  tribes  of  the  west  coast  of 
the  island.  A  chief  or  one  of  the  lead- 
ing men  has  prepared  for  the  occasion. 
He  must  have  a  large  supply  of  food  and 
of  blankets,  for  he  is  expected  to  feed 
all  the  people  of  the  settlement  during 
the  festivities  and  to  close  them  by 
making  a  gift  to  everyone  who  has  been 
invited  and  taken  part  in  them.  These 
gifts  consist  in  canoes,  blankets,  axes, 
fruit,  calico,  Indian  beads,  etc.,  etc. 


J! 


V^ancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


6f 


The  opening  ceremonies  are  abantiuet 
at  which  all  the  Indians  are  supposed  to 
be  present — one  or  more  of  them  go 
outside  and  return  immediately  into  the 
house  and  cause  consternation  in  the  as- 
sembly by  reporting  that  a  pack  of 
wolves  are  to  be  seen  at  a  short  distance 
from  the  camp.  The  wolves  arc  some 
of  the  young  mt-n  running  on  all  fours, 
imitating  thf  step  of  wolves,  and  with  a 
tail  and  ears,  so  that  trom  a  distance  they 
resemble  fairly  well  the  much  to-he- 
dreaded  animal. 

I'his  is  the  signal  for  great  excitement. 
The  chiefs  make  speeches,  the  old  war- 
riors sound  the  alarm,  songs  are  in- 
dulged in,  fright  is  cast  into  the  bosoms 
of  old  and  young,  and  general  notice  is 
given,  especially  to  the  children,  to  be 
on  their  guard  against  the  wolves. 

On  this  and  the  four  next  days  no 
work  is  to  be  done,  and  general  rejoicing 
is  indulged  in.  Banquets  are  given,  and 
there  is  singing  and  dancing  and  joking, 
and  all  kinds  of  drolleries  are  the  order 
of  the  day. 

'I'his  is,  however,  interrupted  by  the 
appearance  of  wolves  in  the  morning  and 
towards  evening.  They  are  very  bold  ; 
they  make  for  some  of  the  children — 
singled  out  before  the  time  of  the  fes- 
tivities and  now  purposely  exposed  to 
the  danger — and  take  them  away  with 
them  in  the  bush.  The  men  of  the 
tribe,  seeing  this,  run  into  their  houses, 
take  up  their  guns  and  shoot  them  off 
as  they  run  in  pursuit  of  the  lleeing 
wolves  with  their  prey  in  their  hands. 
Von  can  now  hear  the  shouts  of  alarm  of 
mothers  and  old  women  .  .  .  but  after 
a  while  the  excitement  subsides  and  the 
general  rejoicings  re<  ommence. 

And  thus  the  game  continues  for  four 
days.  .Meanwhile  the  children  that  are 
taken  away  by  the  wolves  are  kept  out  of 
sight  of  the  tribe.  I'he  mothers  weep, 
the  fiithers  are  wild  with  grief.  Every- 
thing is  done  to  make  the  uninitiated  be- 
lieve that  real  wolves  have  carried  away 
and  devoured  their  children. 

It  is  a  matter  of  pride  for  a  chief  and 


for  all  his  tribe  to  have  the  "  Chook- 
wahu  "  festivities  take  place.  .\nd  no 
more  important  news  can  be  communi- 
cated to  a  neighboring  settlement.  It 
travels  all  along  the  coast  and  com|)li- 
ments  are  extended  by  all  and  every 
friendly  settlement. 

In  old  times  and  even  now  on  the 
coast  there  are  tribes  where  ceremonies 
ending  in  mutilation,  or  at  least  wound- 
ing, are  indulged  in.  But  the  wounding 
is  received  voluntarily  and  payment  is 
made  at  the  conclusion  of  the  festivities. 
The  occasion  is  suggested  by  the  individ- 
ual himself.  He  knows  that  as  long  as 
the  "  Chookwahu  "  is  on,  a  man  who 
fights  or  quarrels  with  his  wife  or  strikes 
her  is  liable  to  have  a  spear  passed 
through  the  skin  of  his  arm,  which,  as  a 
rule,  causes  profuse  bleeding  and  much 
pain,  '{"his  individual,  1  say,  will  pur- 
posely transgress  this  rule,  whereupon  a 
number  of  men  enter  his  lodge,  take 
hold  of  him  and  pass  a  sharp  piece  of  iron 
or  spear  through  the  skin  of  his  arm, 
which  naturally  enough  causes  fright  and 
consternation  in  the  bosoms  of  the  wo- 
men and  children. 

Being  aware  of  this,  I  cautioned  the 
people  of  this  settlement  against  doing 
anything  of  the  kind,  but  I  can  see 
nothing  to  find  fault  with  at  the  present 
time.  When  I  see  the  mascjuerades, 
cavalcades,  historic  processions,  dramas, 
and  other  entertainments  of  our  white 
populations  abandoned  and  given  up 
forever,  it  will  be  time  enough  to  tell 
the  Indians  that  they  must  give  up  the 
"Chookwahu"  festivities. 

On  the  fifth  day,  if  it  be  fair  weather, 
the  Indians  all  dress  up.  'I'he  initiated 
know  what  is  to  take  j)lace.  The  wolves, 
as  usual,  come  out  of  the  bush.  This 
time  the  children  whom  they  had  stolen 
away  from  their  homes  accompany  them. 
The  Indians  get  excited  They  pull  down 
to  the  beach  two  large  canoes,  (over  them 
with  planks  and  the  chiefs  and  men  and 
women  of  a  special  rank,  using  this  as  a 
l)lalforni,  slowly  proceed  over  the  water 
to    within    close    distance    where     the 


iii 


1 


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Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


m 


m 

I  ! 

ll 


supposed  wolves  have  charge  of  the  chil- 
dren. 'I'hey  beat  the  drums,  dance  as 
they  proceed,  sing  incantation  songs,  fire 
off  their  guns,  and  at  a  determined 
moment  rescue  the  captive  children  and 
send  the  defeated  wolves  back  into  the 
bush. 

The  now  rescued  young  jjcople  are 
Hiked,  their  only  covering  being  small 
branches  of  trees  and  brush- 
wood, and  they  are  sol- 
emnly, amidst  songs  and 
general  rejoicing,  taken  to 
the  house  of  the  chief,  who 
gives  the  famous  entertain- 
ment, 'i'he  day  is  passed, 
without  hardly  any  inter- 
ruption, in  this  house.  The 
children  tell  their  experi- 
ence in  the  home  of  the 
wolves,  mention  new  names 
they  are  to  take,  and  many 
other  ceremonies  too  long 
and  too  numerous  to  men- 
tion are  gone  through. 

'The  feast  continues  at  this 
place  nearly  a  full  month — 
in  other  tribes  it  lasts  only 
a  week.  It  comes  to  a  con- 
clusion by  the  burning  of 
the  branch-covering  of  the 
children  as  they  were  res- 
cued from  the  wolves;  and 
(nially  by  a  "])Otlach,"  or 
a  gift  of  presents  by  the  chief 
who  organized  the  festival, 
to  all  the  members  of  the 
tribe. 

July,   iS.Si.  —  I   have  just 
returned  home  from  Ahousat 
(eighteen  miles  from   Hes(|uiat),  where 
I   built  a  small  church  with  two  rooms 
attachedjfor  u^eas  house  and  sacristy. 

To  build  a  wooden  church  with  the 
material  I  had  at  my  disposition  would 
puzzle  many  an  architect.  I  had  ex- 
plained my  plans  to  the  Hisho]),  who  sent 
me  enough  llooring  and  ])lanks  for  the 
body  of  the  building.  Then  I  made  the 
Indians  get  cedar,  which  we  squared  and 
used  for  sills,  rafters  and  other  necessary 


supports;  lastly  I  enlisted  the  services  of 
an  old  fellow  who  brought  me  a  supply 
of  cedar  blocks,  cut  in  two  feet  lengths, 
of  which  1  made  shingles  to  be  used  as  a 
covering  for  the  roof.  ( )utside  the  build- 
ing is  neat,  but  the  inside  has  the  appear- 
ance of  a  common  barn.  I  put  up  an 
altar  and  communion  railing.  lUit  for 
the  generous  assistance  of  the  natives   I 


DISTKUSTl'll.    HI      IHK    I'AMKKA. 

could  never  have  finished  the  work  by 
myself  alone. 

I  have  been  complimented  on  my  work, 
but  people  cannot  throw  dust  into  my 
eyes — it  is  altogether  a  poor  job:  yet  it 
will  answer  a  useful  purpose  and  has  cost 
the  best  of  only  a  few  dollars. 

1  considered  this  jilace  very  necessary 
if  I  want  to  instruct  the  Indians  of  this 
tribe,  ilius  far  I  had  done  it  in  the  house 
of  the  chief,  but  it  was  a  terrible  place. 


. 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


69 


The  house  of  the  chief  was  over  one 
hundred  feet  in  length  by  sixty  in  width. 
I'he  corner  posts  were  immense  pieces  of 
cedar  twenty  feet  high  ;  they  were  met 
on  top  by  long  sticks  three  feet  through. 
(-)ne  monster  l)eam  was  laid  across  the 
centre  and  served  as  crosspiece  to  sup- 
port the  roof  planks.  With  a  fall,  for 
rain  and  water,  of  only  about  two  feet, 
the  roof  looks  almost  flat.  'Phis  is  now 
the  form  of  all  the  Indian  houses  on  this 
coast — immense  places  with  almost  flat 
roofs  'I'he  sides  are  cedar  planks  fast- 
ened by  ro])es  of  cedar  bark  l)elow  and 
above.  'I'he  cedar  roof  ])lanks  are  chis- 
eled out  so  as  to  leave  a  groove  for  the 
rain.  In  fine  weather  one  of  these 
])lanks  is  raised  and  shoved  above  its 
neighbor  to  let  in  air  and  give  a  place  of 
exit  for  the  smoke. 

In  this  chief's  house  twelve  different 
families  had  their  home — twelve  differ- 
ent open  fireplaces  supplied  the  room 
with  smoke  and  heat.  There  were  no 
windows  in  the  house,  although  the  crev- 
ices between  the  wall  planks  jjermitted 
some  light  to  enter.  How  could  I  in- 
struct these  people  in  such  a  horrible 
place  of  filth  and  smoke? — not  mention- 
ing the  noise  made  by  the  quarrelling  of 
the  women,  the  crying  of  children,  the 
growling  and  fighting  of  dogs.  .  .  .  .\nd 
then  the  immodest  bearing  of  the  nu- 
merous inmates  !  Yes  I  I  reciuired  a 
place  to  try  and  do  something  for  the 
.Ahousat  Indians,  and  I  now  rejoice  that 
when  I  go  t  'ere  next  season  I  will  have 
a  place  of  my  own,  no  matter  how  \^ooT 
and  how  undesirable  it  may  look  or  be. 

During  my  stay  at  Ahousat  I  was 
greatly  amused  to  see  a  couple  of  young 
Indians  taking  their  daily  walk  around 
the  place  with  each  a  shoe  on  one  foot 
only  I  'I'he  man  wore  a  shirt  with  a 
blanket  over  his  shoulders  and  the  wife 
had  also  a  blanket  over  her  dress  :  both 
had  their  faces  painted  with  red  vermil- 
ion. 1  was  told  that  the  reason  for  this 
odd  action  was  that  they  had  recently  be- 
<ome  the  parents  of  twins.  By  this  time 
they  had  gone   through  a  very  hard  ex- 


perience and  they  were  still  looked  upon 
by  all  the  people  as  outcasts  and  as  to  be 
shunned.  .No  one  will  use  the  vessels 
they  have  used  either  to  drink  or  to  eat. 
Their  diet  is  to  be  strictly  dry  fish  ; 
nothing  fresh  is  to  i)ass  their  li|)s.  Now, 
and  for  a  long  time  to  come,  they  are  not 
allowed  to  go  on  the  sea  in  canoes  either 
to  fish  or  for  |)leasure.  The  man  has  to 
retire  daily  in  the  forest  and  by  shouting 
and  bathing  reconcile  the  "spirits." 
Their  life  is  not  a  pleasant  one  as  every 
one  avoided  them,  and  being  forbidden 
to  work  or  to  go  after  food,  they  have 
before  them  the  prospect  of  famine  and 
endless  miseries.  The  birth  of  twins  is  a 
source  of  great  excitement  with  all  the 
Indians  on  the  coast.  They  have  special 
songs  for  the  occasion  in  which  all  the 
principal  men  of  the  tribe  join  before  the 
house  where  the  twins  are  born. 

.Another  time  unusual  excitement  was 
caused  by  one  of  our  chiefs  becoming 
crazy.  The  Indians  soon  bethought 
themselves  of  an  old  remedy.  They  took 
the  crazy  man  up  to  his  waist  in  the  sea. 
Half  a  dozen  men  had  charge  of  him  and 
carried  in  their  hands  bran<:hes  of  brush- 
wood. l'|)on  a  given  signal  they  began 
to  flog  him  ;  then  they  took  the  man  by 
the  hair  and  forced  his  head  underwater. 
The  bubbles  indicated  when  to  allow  him 
up  for  breath.  Then  flogging  recom- 
menced .  .  .  and  the  head  under  water 
again  .  .  .  and  the  process  was  con- 
tinued till  very  little  life  was  left  in  him. 
Their  idea  was  to  flojr  out  the  bad  spirit 
who  was  supposed  to  be  in  the  poor  in- 
sane chief  I 

Mar(  h  29,  1.S.S2. — A  young  Indian 
most  unexpectedly  (  alietl  at  my  liouse,  a 
few  (lays  ago,  and  asked  to  be  married  in 
the  (  hurch.  'I'his  was(|tiite  a  new  thing, 
for  never  before  had  anyboily  apjjlied  to 
me  for  matrimonial  religious  services. 

.\fler  mature  (  onsideration  I  made  up 
my  mind  to  (■om])iy  witii  the  young 
man's  re(|uest.  .And  so  we  were  at  last 
going  to  have  a  Christian  marriage  I  It 
was  to  be  the  first  since  I  am  on  the 
coast.       The  young    man  had   not  been 


70 


Vancouver  Island  ami  Its  Missions. 


baptized,  l)iit  he  was  well  instructed  and 
a  faithful  attendant  at  tihiirch  and  a  real 
good  fellow  He  also  told  me  that  the 
young  woman  whom  he  was  to  lead  to 
the  altar  was  willing  and  anxious  that  I 
should  marry  them. 

After  some  difficulties  to  make  her  tell 
me  that  she  was  free  and  willing,'  to  marry 
the  man  in  question — for  Indian  women 
were  never  supposed  to  say  or  acknowl- 
edge that  they  were  willing  to  marry  a 
certain  man,  such  language  being  con- 
sidered imprudent  and  immoilest — I  pro- 
ceeded on  March  23,  to  marry  the  pair. 
First  1  administered  bajitism,  then  I 
brought  them  to  the  altar  and  everything 
went  on  well  until  1  told  them  to  join 
hands.  This  was  almost  too  much. 
Single  Indian  women  on  this  coast  are 
never  to  touch  a  young  man's  hand — it 
is  an  act  of  immodesty — and  how  could 
she  do  so  ///  conspectti  oniniuni,  for  (juite 
a  crowd  of  peo|)le  were  in  the  church? 
However,  after  some  coaxing  and  persua- 
sion, she  at  last  jnit  out  the  tip  of  her 
fingers  from  under  her  blanket,  when  the 
bridegroom,  now  rejoicing  in  the  Chris- 
tian name  of  John,  grasped  hold  of  it 
and  the  ceremony  proceeded  without  any 
further  difticulties. 

I  may  here  add  that  John  stood  before 
me  in  shirt  tails  with  a  blanket  over  his 
shoulders  and  barefooted  ;  Paulina,  his 
young  bride,  also  wore  a  blanket  over  her 
dress  of  brown  calico  and  was  both  bare- 
footed and  bareheaded. 

U'ithal,  their  modesty  and  good  dis- 
positions were  a  hint  to  our  civilized 
people  on  the  occasion  of  contracting 
matrimony.  (Jod  bless  John  and  Paulina! 
If  they  are  not  ri(  h  in  worldly  goods  they 
have  now  a  chance  to  live  as  good  Chris- 
tians and  their  souls  are  as  valuable  and  as 
precious  in  the  eyes  of  (lod  as  those  of  the 
rich  and  powerful  of  this  earth. 

But  trouble  not  quite  unforeseen  soon 
arose.  'This  Christian  marriage  was  an 
innovation  in  these  parts.  The  chiefs 
used  to  be  consulted  in  these  matters 
and  do  a  great  deal  of  interfering.  It 
was  often   an  occasion   for   them   to  be 


praised  and  rewarded  for  their  ser- 
vices. Now  they  were  ignored.  To 
be  sure,  the  parents  of  the  young 
woman  refused  to  recognize  the  union, 
and  although  their  consent  had  been 
asked  secretly  by  their  daughter,  they 
refused  to  accept  the  presents  which 
were  sent  —  an  old  custom — by  the 
parents  of  the  young  husband.  There 
was  such  a  row  and  sui  h  an  excitement 
in  the  camp  that  the  young  couple, 
after  signing  the  register,  refused  to  go 
to  their  home.  This,  however,  they 
did,  but  not  before  the  darkness  of  the 
night  had  come  on. 

I  now  learned  what  was  being  said  and 
the  protestations  that  were  uttered  in 
public  against  my  taking  in  hand  their 
matrimonial  affairs.  It  was  no  business 
of  the  priest.  The  young  people  whom 
he  wanted  to  marry  were  not  his  chil- 
dren. Such  and  other  remarks  were 
made  by  the  old  peoi)le,  and  none  of 
their  daughters  would  submit  to  such 
unheard-of  arrangements.  The  idea  of 
anybody  being  married  in  the  church  !  ! 

The  following  Sunday  I  prea<  hed  on 
matrimony,  explaining  it  as  being  a  sac- 
rament and  the  dignity  thereof.  Next,  I 
called  their  attention  to  the  fact  that  their 
old  marriages  almost  amounted  to  selling 
their  daughters  as  one  would  sell  a  canoe 
or  a  horse — just  as  of  old  the  chiefs  were 
selling  their  slaves.  This  1  had  told 
them  more  than  once,  but  it  had  had  no 
effect.  However,  1  knew  that  the  young 
men  of  the  tribe  were  favorable  to  the 
Christian  marriage,  and  as  they  occupied 
all  the  one  side  of  the  church,  all  the 
women  occupying  seats  on  the  other,  I 
turned  myself  towards  the  men  and  told 
them  to  stand  by  me,  that  1  would  have 
all  those  who  were  yet  single  married  in 
the  church,  and  that  if  the  girls  did  not 
comply  with  that  rule,  I  would  take  the 
matter  up  and  go  with  the  men  and  look 
for  wives  for  them  in  other  tribes.  This 
seems  to  have  had  the  desired  effect, 
for  several  young  women,  being  about  to 
be  married,  fearing  that  they  would  be 
jilted,  sent  word   through  their  parents 


\'ancoiiv(rr  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


that  they  were  not  of  the  number  of 
those  who  had  obje<  ted  to  the  Christian 
marriage. 

The  su|ierstitions  of  the  people  are 
disappearing  little  liy  little.  The  at 
tendance  at  chun  h  is  good  and  the 
Sunday  is  fairly  well  observed.  The 
Indians  are  now  preparing  for  the  fur- 
sealing  season, 

I'p  to  a  couple  ot  years  ago  they 
lived  almost  ex(  lusively  on  fish  aiul 
potatoes.  They  availed  themselves  of 
the  presence  of  large  schools  of  dog-fish 
to  make  dog- fish  oil,  whic  h  they  sold  to 
coasting  schooners,  receiving  in  ex- 
change flour,  molasses,  tobacco,  print- 
calico,  and  articles  of  dress.  The  old 
people  who  did  most  of  the  work  ob- 
jected to  the  buying  of  clothing,  but  the 
young  peojjle,  especially  the  women, 
did  not  listen  to  the  pleadings  of  their 
elders,  and  invested  most  of  their  earnings 
in  the  purchase  of  decent  wearing  apparel. 

I  now  made  it  a  rule  that  no  men 
should  come  to  my  house  unless  they 
wore  |)ants  !  I 

This  was  hard  on  them,  for  they  had 
always  considered  this  covering  of  their 
lower  limbs  as  superfluous — a  real  bother! 
Mut  I  was  inexorable.  Pants  on  or  re- 
main outside.  The  other  day  the  young 
chief,  a  boy  about  ten  years  old,  came 
to  see  me  on  business  with  his  aunt.  I 
saw  him  coming  from  a  distance,  in  his 
shirt-tails  and  a  blanket  on  liis  shoulders. 
He  had  a  small  bundle  under  his  arm. 
When  within  ten  steps  from  the  door  he 
sat  down  on  a  piece  of  driftwood,  took 
the  parcel  from  under  his  arm.  and  shook 
it  ojjen.  It  proved  to  be  his  pants.  He 
now  put  them  on  and  solemnly  walked 
into  the  Indian  parlor  of  my  house.  1 
watched  him  as  he  left,  and  was  amused 
to  see  him,  almost  at  once,  strip  off  the 
bothersome  trousers,  hand  them  over  to 
the  aunt  and  join  with  a  lot  of  other  boys 
in  one  of  their  favorite  games. 

Two  years  ago  I  persuaded  the  young 
men  of  the  tribe  to  try  their  luck  as  fur- 
seal  hunters.  From  the  beginning  their 
success  was  such  that  they  now  .seem  de- 


termined to  i)rosecute  this  lucrative  wofk 
and  leave  the  dog-fish  business  to  the 
old  people.  However,  the  work  is  not 
beneficial  to  spiritual  matters.  Convinced 
as  they  are,  especially  by  the  arguments 
of  famous  hunters  of  the  tribe,  that  in 
order  to  have  good  luck  they  must  have 
recourse  to  the  pagan  practices  of  the 
"  osenitcli,"  that  they  must  bathe, 
use  charms,  fast  and  strictly  observe 
continence,  most  of  the  young  jx'ople 
have  their  faces  disfigured  by  the  use  of 
the  superstitious  remedies.  There  is  no 
use  arguing  with  them,  ani,  .t  is  most  dis- 
(  ouraging  to  hear  their  replies  and  to  see 
the  determination  of  both  men  and 
women  to  persevere  in  their  pagan  i)rac- 
tices.  Nothing  less  than  a  miracle  of 
grace  will  ever  convince  these  ])oor  be- 
nighted people  I 

It  is  worth  mentioning  that,  when  the 
young  men  are  out  sealing,  the  people  at 
home  observe  strict  old-fashioned  rules. 
So.  for  instance,  the  doors  of  the  houses 
must  remain  closed  and  the  room  be  kept 
as  dark  as  possible  ;  dogs,  chickens  and 
even  children  are  turned  outside.  I 
heard  a  young  man  say  that  he  missed  a 
seal — or  rather  saw  a  small  school  of  seals 
on  which  he  was  gaining  stealthily,  ex- 
pecting to  throw  his  spear  at  one  of  them 
and  kill  it,  when  all  at  once  they  all  awoke 
and  began  to  fight  on  the  water  ;  and  he 
attributed  his  ill  luck  of  not  killing  it  — 
as  they  can  only  be  speared  when 
they  are  asleep  —  to  the  fact  tliat 
at  that  very  time  a  band  of  dogs 
had  a  row  in  his  house,  as  he  was 
afterwards  informed  by  the  women  at 
home.  The  Indians  go  out  after  the  seals 
in  their  canoes  and,  finding  a  seal  asleep, 
stealthily  approach  and  throw  out  their 
harpoon,  loosely  attached  to  a  pole  ten  or 
fifteen  feet  long  and  pull  the  struggling 
animal  alongside,  when  they  kill  it  with  a 
club.  Guns  are  not  used  by  the  Indians 
when  hunting  the  fur-seal. 

Another  source  of  revenue  are  the  sea 
otters,  which  animal,  however,  is  now 
scarce  on  the  coast.  I'hey  caught  a  few 
last  year  and  the  year  before,   altogether 


iljll 


I: 


7» 


Vancouver  Ishintl  and  Its  Missions. 


\\ 


about  seventeen,  and  were  paid  from 
thirty  up  to  ninety  dollars  in  trade  for 
eaoh  animal.  The  sea  otters  are  close 
in  shore,  rarely  more  than  two  miles 
away  from  the  rocks  or  surf.  The  mode 
of  hunting  is  different  from  that  of  the 
fur  seal.  Ten  or  twelve  canoes  go  out 
together — the  weather  must  be  calm,  no 
wind  and  no  waves — the  sea  being  like  a 
looking  glass,  the  Indians  spread  them- 
selves over  an  ext  ..ded  surface.  When 
noticing  a  sea  otter,  a  signal  is  given 
with  the  paddle,  when  all  the  hunters 
close  around  the  coveted  animal.  'The 
Indians  use  small  canoes,  three  persons 
in  each  canoe  and  use  bows  and  arrows. 
I'he  sea  otter  on  seeing  danger  dives 
under  the  waves;  he  must  come  up 
for  l)reath  after  a  while,  when  the  In- 
dians i)egin  unmercifully  to  shoot  their 
arrows  at  him:  if  not  hit  he  dives  again, but 
m  ist  soon  come  to  the  surface  again  tor 
breath.  When  he  (  omes  up  the  third 
time  he  remiins  on  the  surface  and,  like 
a  duck,  flutters  away  from  danger  the  best 
way  he  can. 

The  Indians,  haviuj;  now  gathered  to- 
gether around  him,  manage  to  hit  and 
kill  him  amidst  the  greatest  excitement. 
The  man  ";ho  first  wounded  the  animal 
claims  it  as  his  own,  although  another 
m:m  may  have  done  the  real  killing. 
The  woman  or  little  boy,  or  may  be  the 
old  man,  who 
does  the  steering 
gets  the  tail  for 
his  share.  The 
one  who  killed  a 
wounded  sea  otter 
is  also  paid  ac- 
cording to  an 
agreement  ;  and 
every  one  who 
succeeded  in 
wounding  the  an- 
imal after  it  had 
been  hit  by  the 
man  who  now  be- 
comes the  owner, 
is  also  paid,  re- 
ceiving one,  two 


or    more     blankets     as    j^er    agreement 
before  the  hiuit  was  engaged  in. 

I'he  sea  otter  is  very  easily  killed,  a 
slight  wound  often  causing  death- 
It  is  sometimes  very  touching  to 
listen  to  the  narrative  of  the  Indians  on 
their  return  home  from  a  hunting  exjie- 
dition.  When  a  female  sea  otter  fteds 
she  leaves  her  pup  lloundering  on  the 
water;  otherwise  she  (  arries  it  always  in 
one  of  her  ilippers  which  in  the  human 
family  are  represented  by  the  arms. 
.\ow  this  poor  brute  is  so  attached  to  her 
little  offspring,  that  she  will  be  wounded 
two  and  three  times  and  not  part  with  it 
She  wants  to  protect  it  as  long  as  life  is 
in  her  motherly  bosom,  and  in  many  cases 
the  Indians  take  the  little  pup  from  the 
flippers  of  its  lifeless  mother. 

At  other  times,  whilst  the  mother  is 
feeding  under  the  waves,  they  man- 
age to  catch  the  helpless  youngster,  and 
attach  it  to  a  rope  tied  to  their  (  anoe. 
My  its  wails  and  cries,  it  attracts  the  at- 
tention of  the  mother,  who  on  coming  in 
proximity  with  the  canoe,  is  unmercifully 
killed  by  the  cunning  sea-otter  hunter. 

October  20. — On  the  tenth  of  this 
month  two  Indians  came  to  my  house 
and  having  great  news  to  communicate 
asked  me  to  close  and  lock  my  house. 

They  had  come  from  "Oomis,"  a 
fishing  station  about  seven  miles  distant 


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A    llAirV    I'AIK    Ol-     111, INI)    MKN,    1IES<JIMAT,    1!.    C. 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


73 


from  my  house  and  on  the  open  ocean,  alive  and  in  a  trance.  As  I  moved  the 
.\  vessel  had  been  wrecked  tlie  nij^ht  be-  body  out  of  the  canoe,  with  the  assist- 
fore,  so  they  had  come  all  tint  distance  ance  of  the  Indians,  I  noticed  that  her 
to  inform  me,  and  the  body  of  one  of  neck  was  broken,  for  her  head  swung 
the  sailors  was  now  lifeless  on  shore  l)e-  from  one  side  to  the  other,  and  with  her 
fore  their  fishing  cami).  beautiful   blue   eyes  wide   open  I  was  al- 

I  made  some    necessary   preparations    most  tempted  to  believe  that  life  was  not 
and  went  out  at  ouce   and  was   followed    extinct  ;  but  no  I  She  was  dead — drowned 
by  a   large   number  of  the   people   w'lo    with  her  husband  aiul  her  two  little  boys  ! 
lived  at    the    .Mission.      It  soim   beca'iie     It  was  the  saddest  thing  I  ever  saw  in  my 
evident  that  a  great   calamity   had   oc-    life— the  letter-blocks  of  the  chiKlren  and 
curred,  for  we  had  not  walked  more  than    their  toys  and   their  pet    little   p.;?  were 
three  miles,  when  we  found  on  the  beat  h     lying  about  on  the  beach  I 
a  trunk  full  of  ladies'    dresses  and  chil-         I'ne  vessel  had  gone  all  to  pieces  and 
dren's  wearing  apparel.      .\11  along  our    it  was  with  some  difficulty  that  I  discov- 
road,  whi<:h  was  over  a   beach   covered    ered  that  she  was  the  bark  Ma//i-vi//r,  of 
with  rocks  and  driftwood,  we   met  signs     I'reeport,    Me. — Capt.    K.    Harlow:   the 
of    the    disaster.      When    I    arrived    at    lady  in  (ptestion  being  Abbie  Newcomb, 
Oomis  I  found    the  lifeless    body    of  a    of  Brewster,    Me.,   the   young  captain's 
young  man  covered  with  rocks.      He  had    wife  and  the  mother  of  his  two  little  boys, 
stripped  and  evidently  tried  to  save  him-     I  called  upon  the  chief  of  this  clan  and 
self  by  swimuing   for  shore,  but  the  sea    he  supplied  us  with   calico   in   which   we 
being   so    rough   and   the   surroundings    wrapped  the  body  of  the  dead  lady  ;  then 
one  vast  mass  of  ro':ks.  he   had  tailed  to    we  got  canvas  off  of  the  vessel,  made  a 
attain     his    object    and    wa«    drowned,     shroud  and  buried  her  in    proximity   to 
I'here    were    no    wounds  on   his   body,     the  grave  of  the  sailor, 
save    a    scratch    on    his    forehead.      He         I  nv:  X  not  farget  to  mention  that  the 
seemed  to  be  a  man  of  twenty  or   thirty    Indian    who    discovered    the  body   and 
and  had  the  complexicn  of  a   Scandina-    brought  it  on   shore  had  taken  from  her 
vian.      We  covered  the  body  with  can-    hand  two  diamond  and  two  gold  rings — 
vas  from    the   ship,    di'g    a  grave  and  I    her  wedding  and  engagement  rings  ;  two 
buried  him.  diamond  earrings,  a  gold  i)in  and  a  piece 

Next  I  began  to  say  my  Vespers,  and    of  a  gold  watch-chain — the  watch  having 
the  tide  going  out   the    Indians  manned    in   all  probability  dropped  into  the  sea. 
their  canoes  and  went  (  ruising  amongst    After  landing  the  body  this  man  gave  me 
the  rocks  and  in  the  small   bays.      All  at    these  articles  of  jewelry  and  asked  me  to 
once  I  heard  a  cry  of  alarm,  and   next   I    take  them   in  charge.      1    told   this  good 
understood  them  to  say   that   they   had    fellow — ^who  might  be  given  "  as  an  ex- 
found   the  body   of  a  woman.      I   went    ample"  tocivili/ed  people  for  his  hon- 
down  to  the  landing  and  then  indeed  I    esty — that  we  would   send   them  to  the 
was  just  in  time  to  take  on  shore  the  body    relatives  of  this  lady  in  case  we  could  dis- 
of  a  young  woman.      She  was  evidently  a    cover  their  home  and  get  intelligence  of 
lady  of  good  circumstances,  in  all  proba-    their    wishes.        .Altogether    twenty-two 
bility  the  captiin's  wife.     She  was  dressed    people  were  drowned,  including  the  cap- 
very  gorgeously  and  hadlikely  put  on  all    tain's    wife    and   two  children   and    the 
her  best  clothes,  so  as  to  save  them,  in  case    set  ond  officer's  wife, 
she  should  reach   shore  alive.      I  uncov-         .\fter  burying  the  dead  and  leaving  in- 
ereil   her  face,   over  which    the    Indian    structions  for  the  burial  of  some  of  the 
rescuers   had   drawn  a   veil.      She  had  a    bodies  which  had  not  yet  been  recovered, 
small  wound  above   the   right  eye,    but     I  prepared  to  go  home, 
otherwise  she  looked  as   if  she  had  been         IJut  I  was  sick  at  heart,  and  completely 


74 


V^ancouver  Islanil  and  Its  Missions. 


exhausted  with  fatigue  and  hunger. 
I  had  passed  two  days  with  the  most 
distressing  scenes  before  me.  I  had  seen, 
it  is  true,  with  satisfaction  the  noble  and 
heroic  work  of  the  Indians  ;  I  had  seen 
them,  up  to  their  neci<s  in  the  surf  and 
sea,  drag  the  bodies  on  shore  and  hand 
them  over  to  me  for  burial  ;  those  very 
people  who  at  one  time  killed  the  living 
or  left  the  dead  unburied  to  become  the 
prey  of  the  ravens  or  wolves.  Yet  my 
business  on  that  inhospitable  shore  came 
vividly  to  my  mind  as  1  saw  a  lot  of  dead 
men,  women  and  children  before  me — 
people  who  had  relatives  and  for  whom 
tears  would  be  shed.  As  at  night  I  lay  on 
a  coup. .  of  planks,  placed  by  the  Indians 
on  the  heads  of  two  empty  barrels,  .so  that 
I  would  be  more  or  less  protected  against 
the  vermin,  a  cold  fever  seizetl  me  and 
only  for  the  heat  communicated  by  my 
Newfoundland  dog  which  I  took  as  a 
bed-fellow,  I  think  I  should  have  perished 
of  cold  and  misery. 

On  our  way  home  we  encountered  the 
body  of  another  sailor,  an  immense  man, 
dressed  in  blue  overalls.  I  was  in  com- 
pany of  two  Indians.  The  waves  of 
the  incoming  tide  moved  the  body  in 
shore.  We  found  the  half  door  cover  of 
the  hatch.  We  passed  it  under  the 
corpse  and  thus  floated  it  towards  the 
beach.  We  then  began  to  lift  it  up,  hatcli 
door  and  corpse.  We  were  thus  pro- 
ceeding when  one  of  my  men  lost  hold 
and  tne  l)')dy  went  splashing  back  in  tne 
sea!  Oh  !  horror  of  horrors!  it  was 
drcadfu'.  Finally  we  had  carried  the 
unfortunate  man  to  his  last  resting-place. 
and  after  digging  a  grave  we  let  him  sink 
into  it  and  covered  him  witii  the  hatch 
door  of  the  vessel  on  which  he  had  met 
his  sad  end. 

November  22.— .\  gunboat  arrived  in 
the  harbor  yesterday.  The  message 
which  I  sent  to  Victoria  reachctl  there 
per  way  of  Alberni.  Two  young  men 
volunteered  to  carry  the  news  over  the 
newlv-built  government  trail  or  road  to 
the  Mast  Ooast  and  to  Manaimo,  whence 
it  reached  the  naval  aiilhorities. 


Captain  Thorn,  of  H.  M.  S.  A'/V/i,'- 
Fisher,  is  now  on  his  way  back  to  Vic- 
toria with  some  of  the  details  which  he 
asked  me  to  write  for  him.  The  arrival 
of  this  steamboat  was  a  Oodsend  to  us, 
for  I  had  lost  the  run  of  the  days  of  the 
week,  and  could  not  say  with  a  <  ertain'y 
that  we  were  keeping  Sunday  at  a  proptr 
time  or  day.  When,  at  one  time,  I  wa 
informed  that  one  of  our  priests  (Rev. 
Father  Roundeault)  had  lost— or,  rather, 
gained — a  whole  week  in  the  calendar — 
when  he  had  given  the  ashes  a  whole 
week  before  .\sh  Wednesday — 1  thought 
such  a  mistake  almost  uni)ardonable  !  I 
know  better  now.  It  is  a  hint  to  me  not 
to  disbelieve  the  Inaians  when  they  re- 
port that  they  have  kept  Sunday  on  Mon- 
day or  Saturday.  I  made  the  same  mis- 
take. 

18S3,  January  ,v'- — Upon  the  ar- 
rival o'l  H.  M.  S.  A7//J,'  Fisher  in 
Vijtoria,  dispatches  were  sent  abroad 
with  the  news  of  the  wreck,  and  to- 
day I  received  a  letter  from  Mrs. 
Strout,  of  Portland,  .Me.,  telling  me  that 
the  lady  whom  I  had  buried  was  a  rela- 
tion of  hers  and  asking  me  to  send  the 
jewels  which  we  had  recovered  to  the 
dead  lady's  parents,  who  were  living  in 
Brewster,  Me.  From  what  I  understand 
these  people  are  Protestants,  yet  they 
believe  \,\  keeping  relics  of  the  dead. 
Withal,  the  letter  was  a  beautiful  one 
and  exceedingly  touching.  .Many  wen' 
also  the  th'^nks  expressed  l)y  this  esti- 
mable lady  for  the  services  rendered  to 
her  dead  relative  by  the  Indians  and 
myself.  Oood  liishop  Healy,  of  Port- 
land, Me. ,  had  given  her  permission  to 
use  his  name  in  writing  to  me. 

July  15. — Sent  jewelry,  liible,  and 
sealskin  cloak  to  the  mother  of  the  late 
Mrs.  Harlow,  of  ISrewster,  Me.  The 
Indians  let  me  do  so,  although  I  could 
not  promise  any  reward  for  their  gener 
ous  condu(  t  and  their  trouble 

September. — At  my  re(|uest,  the  rela- 
tives of  the  shipwrecked  people  having 
neglected  to  reward  the  lndian>  wiio 
liad   lKli)ed  me    to  bury    the   dixui    and 


Xancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


/^ 


had  parted  with  the  vahiahlc  jewelry, 
the  Americ  an  ("lovernincnt  granted  a  sum 
of  two  hundred  dollars  to  l)e  distributed 
among  the  most  deserving  ones,  and  a 
gold  medal  was  presented  to  Chief  Aimc 
as  a  souvenir  of  the  kindness  and 
humane  conduct  of  the  tribe.  I'he  inter- 
ests of  the  Nfission  and  of  the  priest  in 
charge  were  forgotten  by  all  parties 
concerned. 

December. —  The  Indians  having  com- 
menced Miinu"  of  their  winter  festivals 
and  the  chr-f  being  engaged  in  a 
"  Chookwahu  "  entertainment,  a  young 
woman  fell  into  tran(  es  and  began 
to  prepare  to  become  a  medicine 
woman.  As  my  position  with  the 
majority  of  the  jieople  was  becom- 
ing solid,  iind  as  I  tould  re(  kon  ujjon 
being  siis'.ained  in  anything  1  vvould  un- 
dertake or  their  good.  I  dec  iiled  to  in 
terfere  The  medicine  men  and  women 
being  all  around  the  candidate  for  new 
honors,  1  sent  a  posse  of  strong  men 
♦•'  uterthiHn  with  menacesand  threats. 
.1  the  impostors  immediately  left  the 
liouse  t'^e  young  woman  herself  took  to 
the  bu>n  and  left  the  village,  and  it  is 
now  Mrttled  that  for  the  future  consulting 
ami  employing  medi(  ine-men  and 
women  can  no  longer  be  tolerated  in  this 
neighborhood. 

Thus  the  greatest  obstacle  to  the  <  on- 
verNion  of  the  lles(iuiat  hulians  i^  iur- 
evet   removed. 

1.SS4.  liisho])  brondel  is  gone  to 
Montana  to  become  Hishop  tliere.  Rev. 
I'ather  Jouckau  was  to  be  his  successor, 
but  he  does  not  accept  on  account  of 
sickness  atid  ]ioor  health.  I  now  heard 
that  Srciibisho])  Seglurs  hail  obtained 
permission  to   return    to  his  old  diocese. 

.\ngust  15. — I  had  a  narrow  escape 
tvom  drowning.  1  was  coinint;  fr'>m 
Nootka  where  I  h.ul  spiiil  a  month.  .\s 
1  lett  friendly  Cove  with  a  \()iing  man 
and  his  wife  there  was  nowind/lml  a 
heavy  sea  was  coming  into  Nootka  Sound. 

it  was  a  signal  of  the  approach  of 
westerly  wind.  J  ust  the  wind  we  wanted. 
We     had    hardh     traveled    half    a    mile 


when  we  me  the  bree/e  ;  yes,  a  regular 
gale  I  "What  do  you  think  of  runnin,.^ 
for  shore?"  cried  my  Indian,  "lake 
in  sail,  I  cannot  steer."  I  obeyed  his 
orders.  We  were  now  in  the  midst  of  a 
fearful  tempest.  i'he  young  woman  be- 
gan to  cry  and  utter  shrieks  of  despair. 
It  was  terrible,  but  I  prayed  like  a  good 
fellow,  'i'he  sea  was  now  breaking  over 
our  canoe.  ...  I  put  the  matter  into 
the  hands  of  St.  Lawrence,  whose  feast 
we  were  to  ( elebrate  the  next  day,  and 
I  called  the  net",  on  which  we  happily 
succeeded  in  landing.  St.  Lawrence's 
reef.  I'he  Inci.;;!,  baled  out  the  canoe, 
dried  their  blankets  in  the  sun,  and  I  re- 
tired amongst  a  little  brushwood,  grow- 
ing between  the  'ocksof  St.  Lawr.ince's 
reef,  where  I  made  myself  comfortable 
and  slejit  that  night. 

September  (). — .\  wicked  young  fel- 
low, the  son  of  the  most  desperate 
characters  of  the  coast,  had  recourse 
to  an  old  dodge,  very  frecpiently  used 
in  the  past,  to  procure  for  himself 
a  partner  in  life.  A  canoe  of  New- 
chatlat  Indians  passed  here  and  called 
at  the  village.  TK*  rascal  watched  his 
chance  and  whilst  her  friends  were  en- 
joying a  hospitable  meal  in  one  of  the 
houses,  he  went  to  their  canoe  and  took 
out  by  force  a  young  woman,  wl^o  strug- 
gled and  cried  as  he  carried  her  to  his 
parents'  residence.  Although  I  felt  in- 
clined to  stop  the  performance  of  this 
dastardly  act.  lor  motives  ul  jjrudence  1 
was  compelled  to  abstain  trom  inter- 
fering. 

September  14  — Distant  relatives  of 
the  young  woman  in  ipiestion  to  day 
took  iter  tc    ler  home  and  friends. 

Speaking  in  general,  the  people  are 
orderly  and  doc  ile  ai\d  well  behaved. 

Since  the  abolition  of  the  medicine- 
men and  women  free  recourse  is  had  to 
me  for  medicines  and  medical  treatment. 
Day  and  night  calls  are  made  for  reme- 
dies for  the  old  and  young — the\  want 
inedii  ine  lor  any  and  every  complaint — 
there  is  no  end  to  it.  Strong,  burning 
medicincN    are    preferred;    in    fiut,    mild 


II 


76 


X'ancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


remedies  are  discardeil.  Since  last  year 
I  must  have  applied  a  square  yaril  of 
blistering  and  mustard  plasters  to  the 
aching  limbs  and  bodies  of  my  parish- 
ioners. I  hope  this  habit  of  calling  for 
help  for  even  the  most  trivial  ailments 
will  soon  cease;  if  not,  I  have  a  hard  and 
])usy  time  before  me. 

18X5,  November. — Since  the  begin- 
ning of  last  year  the  religious  status  of 
the  tribe  has  greatly  changed.  Many 
adults  have  been  baptized  and  received 
into  the  church.  .Ml  the  marriages  are 
now  contracted  in  the  church  and  it  is 
only  a  matter  oi'  time  to  have  all  the 
young  people  gathered  in  the  bosom  of 
the  Chun  h  and  leading  practical  Christian 
lives.  At  last,  then  perseverance  and 
prayer  have  carried  the  day.  -Deo 
Gratias.' 

Last  June  seventeen  young  men  went 
on  a  sealing  expedition  to  the  JJehring 
Sea.  They  did  very  well,  and  arrived 
home  highly  delighted  with  the  success 
of  their  long  voyage,  'i'hey  had  killed 
1,400  animals,  receiving  two  dollars  per 
animal.  However,  their  earnings  were 
considerably  reduced,  as  they  had  to  i)ay 
for  their  board  on  the  vessel.  Their 
mode  of  hunting  is  as  follows:  Their  ca- 
noes are  taken  on  board  of  the  vessel 
and  se(  ured  on  deck.  When  they  come 
to  the  sea  their  canoes  are  lowered  when 
the  weather  is  calm.  The  Indians  then, 
with  spears  and  some  provisions  and  a 
compass,  begin  to  cruise  around,  hunt 
the  seals  and  return  to  the  vessel  to  spend 
the  night. 

It  is  iiazardous  work,  as  the  waters  of 
the  BehringSea  are  very  treacherous  and 
become  covered  with  a  dense  fog  some- 
times more  than  once  a  day;  the  Indians, 
of  course,  use  their  compass,  but  it  takes 
good  reckoning,  to  come  from  a  (listan(  e 
of  ten  or  fifteen  miles,  and  then  just 
meet  the  spot  where  their  vessel  is  drift- 
ing about.  In  such  weather,  signal  guns 
are  fired  off  and  are  of  great  assistance  to 
the  befogged  hunters  ;  yet  on  their  first 
voyage  two  Indians  lost  their  vessel  and 
by  their  al)sence  on  board   caused   miu  h 


uneasiness  and  grief  to  their  friends  and 
many  tears  to  their  relatives  at  home  on 
the  arrival  of  the  schooner. 

They  are  back  now,  and  pose  as  heroes. 

After  losing  the  vessel  they  landed  on 
one  of  the  Aleutian  Islands.  There  they 
met  a  native  who  treated  them  well  and, 
by  signs  and  gestures,  showetl  them  the 
direction  of  a  trailing  post.  The  tra  .er, 
a  white  man,  gave  them  some  provisions 
and  directed  them  to  a  bay  where  .Ameri- 
can fishermen  were  busy  at  their  trade, 
i'hence  they  were  taken  in  a  boat  and 
landed  at  one  of  the  central  trading  sta- 
tions, whence  they  were  ])assengers  on 
the  .Alaska  Commercial  Company's 
steamet  Z>()/v?//  and  landed  at  San  Fran- 
cisco. They  were  treated  with  nnu  h 
kindness  by  the  captain  and  his  men  ; 
and  the  first  officer  took  the  two  Indians, 
bewildered  upon  seeing  the  large  city  of 
the  Pacific  Coast,  to  the  ISritish  Consul 
who  paid  their  passages  to  Victoria,  H.  ('. 
Here  they  at  once  went  over  to  see  the 
Bishop,  who  assisted  them  by  a  letter  of 
recommendation  to  the  owners  of  the 
vessel  from  which  they  had  strayed.  .\ 
canoe  was  bought  and  a  supply  of  provis- 
ions and  they  arrived  home  last  Sunday 
morning,  just  in  time  to  attend  Mass. 
'I'hey  now  excite  the  wonder  of.  not  onl\- 
their  own  friends,  but  of  all  the  Indians 
of  the  coast,  and,  no  doubt,  their  experi- 
ence, told  in  all  its  details,  would  ex(  ite 
the  admiration  of  people  more  accus- 
tomed to  travel  than  these  Indians  who 
had  never  before  left  their  home  and 
(  ountry. 

.\1I  is  well  that  ends  well  '. 
"W'ewiks,"  an  Indian  boy,  the  son 
of  parents  whose  great  i)ri(le  it  was  to  en- 
tertain the  tribe  with  food  and  jiresents 
and  had  only  half  fed  and  clothed  their 
own  children,  got  in  trouble  and  died  a 
few  weeks  ago.  It  has  been  storm\'  and 
dangerous- looking  for  me  ever  since, 
and  1  now  have  a  paper  on  my  table 
stating  that,  if  I  do  not  turn  up  and  that 
my  body  is  found  with  evidence  of  liav- 
ing  been  murdered,  traces  of  it  can  he 
found  on  the  lower  limbs  of  the  man  ulio 


h, 
n< 
re 
wl 
jiii 
sei 
th. 


M 

I 


X^ancouver  Islantl  and  Its  Missions. 


/  / 


'!  I 


I  son 
cn- 
•nts 
llicir 
]cl  ;> 
;iinl 
Ik  0. 
li\)!r 
[that 
Ihav- 
In  1h' 


committed  the  deed.  I  have  since  the 
beginning  of  the  tioulile  (  ariied  a  revol- 
ver in  my  pocket  with  tlie  object  of 
wounding  in  the  lower  limbs,  the  man 
who  committed  the  assault,  so  that  no- 
body but  the  guilty  party  may  be  hauled 
up. 

W'ewiks  broke  into  the  store  of  a 
trader.  He  was  condemned  to  six 
months'  imprisonment,  contrat  ted  con- 
sumption in  prison,  and  died  a  week  after 
his  return  home.  Three  days  before  his 
■death  his  father  came  to  my  house  and 
began  to  abuse  and  threaten  me  fear- 
fully. I  took  it  calmly  and  simply  cast 
the  blame  on  the  one  to  whom  it  be- 
longed, namel}-,  the  boy  who  had  broken 
into  the  store,  just  before  leaving  me 
the  old  man  changed  his  lone  and  gave 
me  to  understand  that  my  services  as  a 
priest  would  not  be  rejected.  So  I  went 
over  and  prepared  the  poor  young  fel- 
low for  fVath.  I  was,  however,  informed 
thattru.i.i  was  brewing  and  to  be  on 
my  guuiii.  'The  sick  man  ha(^  in  his 
possession  a  brand  new  gun.  and  it  was 
lying  alongside  of  his  bed.  What  was  the 
use  of  his  i)arents  buying  a  new  gun. 
when  it  was  evident  that  their  boy  must 
■soon  die  ;  and  then,  was  the  bed  of  the 
dying  man  the  jiroper  |)lace  to  keei'  vlic 
dangerous  weapon  ?  Such  were  the  re- 
marks which  were  made  and  thence  the 
hints  thrown  out  to  me.  I  (  ould  easily 
■see  that  my  position  was  not  a  safe  one. 

Now,  the  evening  before  the  \oung 
fellow  died,  a  messenger,  in  the  jierson 
of  the  sick  boy's  brother,  came  to  a-^k 
me  to  go  over  to  the  house,  it  was 
dark,  the  Indians  had  retired  for  ihe 
night  and  the  sick  man  was  dying  in  a 
house  away  from  the  settlement,  and  had 
no  company  there  save  his  wii  ked  pa- 
rents. \  coasting  trader  was  with  me 
when  the  invitation  was  made.  He 
jumped  up  as  1  rose  to  follow  the  itftrtvs- 
senger  and  entreated  im-  not  to  go,  d*ii(f 
thev  were  going  to  kill  me,  the  hist  word 
I  heard  him  call  out  being  '  ili'  !'.«%■/. 
come  back,  for  (iod's  sake  d  •' !  " 

1  knew  that  1  was  running      ,'•.."   f\^ . 


but  how  could  I  in  conscience  refuse  to 
go  and  see  a  dying  man?  On  my  way 
I  called  on  a  man  whom  I  could  trust, 
and  asked  him  to  accompany  me.  He 
was  ([uite  willing,  but  how  di.sappointed 
the  sick  man's  |)arents  looked  when  they 
saw  that  I  was  not  alone  !  My  presence 
as  a  priest  was  not  wanted— net  one  of 
them  spoke  a  single  word  to  me — but 
they  all  entered  in  conversation  with  my 
companion,  and  so  after  a  while  I  re- 
turned to  my  house  with  this  one  consola- 
tion that  I  had  done  my  duty. 

W'ewiks  died,  but  his  people  ob- 
jected to  having  him  buried  from  the 
church.  Thuy  were  bent  ujion  making 
trouble.  His  body  was  placed  on  the 
branches  of  a  huge  tree,  covered  and 
decorated  with  blankets,  and  the  famous 
gun  is  also  in  evidence  as  an  ornament. 
.Ml  this  is  against  tne  rules  of  the  Chris- 
tians and  even  the  pagans,  having  for 
sometime  since  renounced  many  of  their 
old  customs,  now  found  fault  with  the  con- 
duct of  the  bereaved  relatives.  Hut  it 
is  evident  that  this  transgression  of  our 
newly  established  regulations  was  only 
nude  with  the  object  of  creating  trouble. 

The  lamentations  of  the  nearest  rela- 
tives, their  shrieks  of  despair  and  the 
expression  of  the  wickedness  of  their 
hearts  surpass  all  limits.  They  call  me 
a  liar  and  all  sorts  of  names,  the  curses 
<lireited  against  me  are  of  such  a  nature 
that  the  children  and  young  people  feel 
horrified.  Von  can  hear  their  maledic- 
tions against  the  poor  priest  from  morning 
till  evening,  and  for  no  other  motive  save 
that  the  man  who  had  the  boy  arrested 
an<i  punished  was  a  white  man  like 
mysel.''. 

March,  t)^Sif>.  lor  the  first  time  in 
the  history  of  the  ve.>rld  was  Confirmation 
*4minist<'red  on  ti  oast.  On  the  2Sth 
of  I'ebruary,  the  .Mo,.t  Kev.  C.  J.  Seghers, 
Archbishop  </f  Van( ouver,  administered 
M«r#  m  th'  ^  '^irch  <jf  Hesipiiat,  this 
iWi/.raiiKMVt  to  I tv My  seven    ailiilt  Indians. 

W*  h;id  trii^i  '^}  give  him  a  good  re- 
.eeft)lf$l^  as  beowMvi"  a  Bishop  of  the 
**'hurf'h'.    m^$    llv*      If)4<ian    being    now 


r 


UPS 


m 


78 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


almost  all  Catholics,  we  succeeded  to  a 
great  extent.  You  can  now  read  happi- 
ness and  joy  on  the  countenances  of 
these  poor  ])eople  who,  a  few  years  ago, 
were  the  slaves  of  pagan  i)ractices.  I'he 
Bishop  seemed  glad  to  see  that  the  work 
which  we  had  commenced  together 
twelve  years  ago,  was  at  last  becoming 
successful. 

It  is  now  only  a  matter  of  time  to  see 
the  non-baptized  Indians  imitate  their 
more  fortunate  friends.  'I'here  is  an 
element  though  of  people  who  are  still 
far  from  adopting  Christianii}-.  It  is  a 
faniil)' of  chiefs  who  suspect  that  Chris- 
tianity will  have  the  effect  of  lowering 
them  in  the  esteem  of  tlie  other  Indians 
of  the  coast.  The  idea  of  seeing  people  of 
low  rank  raised  to  their  own  level,  as  all 
Christians  are  alike,  and  have  the  same 
spiritual  privileges,  hurts  their  feelings. 
Pride  is  at  the  bottom,  that  Indian  i)ride 
which  is  among  the  greatest  obstacles  to 
the  conversion  of  all  Indian  nations. 
Mnt  I  must  continue  and  try  to  get  them 
all  gathered  into  the  fold.  Things  look 
well  now,  and  I  begin  to  enjoy  some  of 
the  consolations  of  the  priests  of  (lod 
who  administer  to  civilized  Catholic 
congregations. 

On  the  occasion  of  his  visit  to  the 
coast,  the  liishop  went  to  Kyuiiuot, 
where  1  atcompanied  him  with  Kather 
I.emmens.  We  went  on  a  schooner  and 
were  well  received  by  the  Kyui|Uot  In- 
dians, who  had  been  duly  ])repare(l  by 
their  priest,  the  Rev.  l-'atiier  Ni(  olaye, 
who  was  glad  lo  receive  us. 

The  IHshop  on  this  occasion  blessed 
the  cemetery  at  Kyutiuot  ;  thence  we 
returned  in  canoe  and  visited  the  dif- 
ferent tribes  on  our  way  back,  ])rea(  lied 
to  the  people  and  bai)tized  their  chil- 
dren. We  came  near  being  drowned 
close  to  liayo  Point  ;  but  escaped  as  by  a 
miracle:  then  we  made  our  home  for  a 
week,  on  account  of  bad  weather,  in 
I'liendly  Cove,  Nootka  Sound,  where 
our  provisions  gave  out  ;  at  last  we  man- 
aged to  rea(  h  Hesipiiat  and  ciijcv  a  full 
if  not  a  luxurious  meal. 


From  Hesipiiat  we  went  to  .\hou5at, 
and  the  Bishop  here  made  arrange- 
ments to  appoint  a  ])riest  for  this  tribe, 
where  at  one  time  I  had  built  a  chajjel 
and  dwelling  rooms;  thence  we  continued 
in  our  canoe  to  Clayociuot.  wherewe  saw 
the  Indians.  There  my  trip  was  at  an 
end  and  iifter  receiving  the  Bishop's 
blessing  I  bade  him  gootl  bye  and  re- 
turned to  my  heachpiarters  in  Hes(|uiat, 

The  next  news  which  I  received  was 
that  Father  I.emmens  was  stationed  in 
Clayo(|uot  Sound  and  that  my  work  was 
reduced  to  looking  after  the  llesip.iiat, 
Nootka  and  Matchleat  Indians. 

icS.Sy. — On  the  occasion  of  his  last 
visit  the  Bishop  made  arrangements  for 
building  a  new  dwelling  house,  my  old 
ipiarters  having  become  almost  uninhabit- 
able. We  therefore  commenced  work  early 
in  June.  I  had  logs  scpiared  and  ready 
for  the  men  on  their  arrival  and  the 
foundations  were  laid.  The  house  was 
to  be  a  log  house  with  lining  inside  and 
rusti(  outside.  The  two  white  men  em- 
ployed did  their  best,  but  understood 
very  little  about  building  a  log  house. 
It  took  more  time  than  we  expected  and 
was  much  more  costly. 

While  this  was  going  on.  .Archbishop 
Seghers  was  absent  in  Alaska  and  we 
were  overwhelmed  with  grief  when  we 
learned  in  August  that  he  had  i<een 
murdered.  The  news  was  so  unexpe(  ted 
and  of  such  an  unheard-of  nature  that 
in\  men  dropped  their  tools  in  com- 
plete discouragement.  We  had  no  de- 
tails, but  the  Bishop  was  dead  and  the 
news  utterly  upset  us. 

Most  of  my  Indians  were  also  absent; 
they  had  been  induced  to  leave  their 
ho'iK's  and  go  to  the  hopfields  on  Piiget 
Sound,  Washington  Territory.  With  the 
news  of  the  death  of  our  lamented  Bishoj) 
came  almost  simultaneously  the  news  of 
sickness  amongst  the  thousands  of  Indi- 
ans who  were  in  the  hoplieUls. 

Later  on  some  of  the  people  began  to 
come  hoiiie.  their  children  had  died  of 
measles.  (  )thers  brought  their  little 
ones   home,    but   they  had    the  sickness 


\  aiicouver  Islaiul  aiul  Its  Missions. 


79 


;e 

:n 
■d 
at 
w  ■ 
|e- 
he 

|it; 
•ir 
Ift 
lie 
l.p 
)f 
u- 

|to 

lof 

\\c 
ess 


with  ihim.  Having  l)een  exposed  to 
the  (  old  in  their  canoes,  many  died  and 
those  who  seeuu^d  to  li.ive  recovered  be- 
came ( onsumptive  and  soon  fcjllowed 
the  others  to  the  grave.  r)efore  long 
I  counted  over  t'orty  children  of  Hes- 
quiat  alone  who  had  become  victims  of 
the  disease  and  had  died.  With  my 
llishoj)  murdered  and  my  young  jieople 
dying  around  me,  I  closed  this  year  with 
many,  many  sad  feelings. 

February,  iSSS. — I  Jepression  and 
gloom  seems  to  be  in  the  air  all  around. 
Mo>l  of  the  Indians  have  now  come  back 
to  their  I  les(|uiat  homes,  'I'iiis  used  to 
be  an  occasion  for  rtjoicing  and  good 
feeling.  It  is  dilTcrent  now.  I'rom  morn- 
ing till  night  you  can  hear  the  women  cry 
and  lament  :  some  of  them  expressanger 
and  passion.  lUit  it  is  touching  and 
sad  beyond  exjiression  to  hear  the  young 
mothers  who  have  lost  their  little  ones 
bemoan  their  loss.  It  would  draw  tears 
from  the  eyes  of  stolid  men  to  see  them 
in  groups  of  tiiree  or  four,  with  their 
eyes  filled  with  tears,  scjuatted  before  the 
houses  and  hear  eacii  one  of  them  tell 
in  song  like  words  that  cm  be  heard  all 
over  the  \illage  the  greatness  of  her  loss 
anil  the  >urferings  of  her  motherly  heart. 

The  men  also  take  pait  in  the  general 
mourning.  Like  the  women,  they  clip 
their  hair  short,  neglect  their  attire  and 
>eem  to  be  deprived  of  all  ambition. 
Some  look  nKjrose  and  sullen,  others  are 
the  picture  of  men  with  broken    liearts. 

It  is  terribly  hard  on  me  to  be  here 
just  now,  for  one  (  annot  hilp  (  ommis- 
erating  and  feeling  for  his  poor  people. 
Hiwever.  there  is  no  use  sitting  down 
and  crying.  But  the  worst  is  that  some 
of  the  ;)agaiis  look  very  bad.ind  by  their 
con<lui  t  are  \ery  provoking.  May  this 
state  of  affairs  soon  (ease  and  ha\e  no 
evil  consdiuences! 

Jnne  3. — .\  coui)leof  schooneis  called 
here  for  a  crew  and  are  nt)w  off  to  the 
Hehring  Sea  on  a  fur-sealing  exjiedition. 

'I  he  news  arrived  that  Father  i.em- 
men>  is  to  be  our  new  liishop. 

June   25  — 1  nexpectedly   the  steamer 


Mai/de  called  in  Hesquiat  harbor  and  I 
took  jiassage  on  her  and  went  to  Vic- 
toria 

The  steamer  called  at  "  (_'layo(piot 
Mission."  I  went  to  see  the  Hishop- 
elect,  whom  i  found  in  his  ><hirt  sleeves, 
with  an  axe  in  his  hands,  splitting  fire- 
wood. .\fter  taking  a  pot  of  coffee, 
which  he  ]>rei)ared  for  me  in  good  style, 
we  talked  the  matter  over  and  we  left 
together  for  X'ictoria. 

Jtdy  — F^ere  the  new  Hishop  elect 
was  welc(jme(l  by  the  clergy  and  es- 
pecially the  Wry  Rev.  I.  J.  |()U(  kau, 
the  administrator.  This  last-named 
gentleman  was  very  weak  and  evidently 
suffering  very   mu(  h. 

Rev.  l-'ather  Fenmiens  obje(  ted  to  be- 
coming liishop,  but  he  was  eventually 
])ersuaded  to  accept  and  his  consecration 
was  set  for  .August  5. 

( )n  the  Sunday  (jrevious  his  adminis- 
trator, the  \ery  Rev.  J.  J.  Jouckau,  died 
(|uite  suddenly  and  his  funeral,  at  whii  h 
1  was  made  Ij  preach,  took  )>la(  e  on  the 
following  Tuesday. 

August  17. — Two  days  later  I  re- 
ceived word  through  the  wife  of  the 
Indian  agent  for  the  coast,  that  a 
murder  had  been  committed  at  Hes- 
ipiiat  ;  that  the  body  of  a  little  i)oy  of 
four  years  had  been  found  behind  one  of 
the  houses,  but  that  there  was  no  evi- 
dence to  prove  bv  whom  he  hau  Ikch 
killed. 

This  news  spoiled  all  the  i)leasure  and 
enjoyment  of  my  presen.  e  at  the  conse- 
cration of  the  liishop.  uhen  all  the 
l)riests  of  the  diocese  met  together. 
I  went  home  with  a  crew  <if  Indians 
who  hail  spe(  iaily  come  for  me  in 
a  (anoe.  It  wa>  a  long,  tedious  trip, 
all  the  moil,  unpleasant  as  I  (  ould  see 
the  trouble  1  had  before  me  on  account 
of  the  timrder. 

.August  21.  —  I  arrived  home  shortlv 
before  midnight,  and  retired  at  once. 
.About  two  o'clock  .\.  \i  .  I  heard  some- 
body knov  k  ai  the  door  I  waited  for 
another  knock,  but  the  visitor  left. 

Farly    ne\t    morning    a     uian     called 


r 


80 


\'ancoiivt,r  Is1;uk1  and  Its  Missions. 


Isiniquali  came  to  sec  me,  and  as  lie  be- 
gan to  siy  that  he  was  falsely  ac'cused  of 
being  the  murderer,  1  would  not  give 
him  a  hearing.  Later  in  the  evening  he 
came  again  and  asked  me  what  the 
Indians  had  been  telling  nie  about  him. 
Bill  again  I  sent  him  off  without  making 
any  statement. 

The  Indian  agent  called  a  couple  of 
days  later  and  went  to  X'ictoria  to  in- 
form the  authorities  of  the  <  ircumstances 
of  the  crime. 

A  magistrate  and  a  couple  of  police- 
men were  sent.  Isini([uah  underwent  a 
preliminary  hearing  and  was  taken  to 
civilization  for  trial. 

Meanwhile  the  father  of  the  murdered 
child  arrived  home  from  iJehring  Sea.  1 
never  in  my  life  saw  a  man  the  victim  of 
such  a  struggle  to  control  his  temper. 
However,  he  held  out.  and  I  heard  him 
say  in  my  own  house  to  his  weejiing 
wife  :  "  Now  let  us  not  be  oversad  ;  if 
we  are  good  we  will  see  our  little  boy 
again  in  heaven."  The  tears  came  in 
my  eyes  and  it  struck  me  then  that  if  I 
had  had  my  troubles  I  had  at  least  done 
some  good  by  remaining  and  trying  to  do 
my  duty. 

Oct  "(her  25. — The  schooner  Kii/e 
arrivea  liere  and  had  been  chartered  by 
the  government  to  take  tiie  witnesses  to 
NiUiaimr  for  the  trial  of  Isinicpiah.  I 
received  a  sunnnons  to  accompany  them 
and  act  as  interpreter,  which  1  did, 
rj.ther  than  pay  a  fine  of  live  l.undred 
dollars  tor  non-attendance. 

The  trial  caiiie  off  in  due  time,  lasti-d 
thrc"  days  and  lsinii|uah  was  con- 
demned to  be  hanged  December  i  Jth. 

'I'he  Methodist  ministers  and  one 
I'resbyterian  bigot  got  up  a  petition  to 
have  the  sentenc  e  commuted,  oi  rather, 
have  the  prisoner  (iis(  harged.  They 
considered  it  a  jMere  of  persecution  and 
compared  the  proceedings  to  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  "Spanish  Inquisition  !" 
'I'heir  object  at  the  bottom  was,  to  ,gain 
the  good  will  of  the  natives  who  were 
related  to  the  murderer,  e\(  ite  them 
against    the    (.'atholic    jjriest,    and    tlius 


prepare  the  field  to  put  a  I'rotestant  mis- 
sion on  the  coast.  This  was  the  first 
attempt  they  made  to  intrude  on  onr 
missions  on  that  coast. 

December  19. — Isinifjuah  was  hanged 
on  December  12th,  after  being  duly  pre- 
pared by  baptism  and  instruction  in  our 
holy  religion. 

The  motive  of  his  crime  had,  presum- 
ably, been  the  fact   that  one  of  his  <  hil- 
dren  who  had  died  of  measles  was  called 
Moses,    and    the   boy    whom    he   killed 
had  the  i-'rench  name   Moise  :   this  latter 
boy  was   the   child   of   .\Ii<  hel.   a   good 
Christian.      Isiniquah    and    his    friends, 
according    to    an    old     pagan    custom, 
wanted  this  man  to  give  another  name  to 
his  child  on    account    of  the   similarity 
of  the    two    names.      Michel  having  re- 
fused   to   do   so,   the    murderer   availed 
himself  of  the  absence  of  the  parent  and 
the  grandfather  of  the  boy  in   Hehring 
Sea  to  get   him  out  of  the  way,  and  he 
unmercifully  took  the  little  fellow  in  the 
bush,  put  his  strong  hand  firmly  on  the 
mouth  and  nostrils  of  the  child  and  then 
choked   him   to  death.     When  the  sen- 
tence was  i)ronounced  in  court,  a  white. 
Catholic  woman,  the   mother  of  .several 
little  children,  was  heard  to  say,    "  that 
a  rope  was  too  good  to  hang  a  man  who 
had  choked  to  death  an  innocent  child." 
When  the  time  of  going  back   to   the 
mission  had  arrived,  the  government  put 
at  our  disiiosition  the  schooner  J-'arorif,', 
( cSo  tons).  Captain    L.    Mcl-ean.      The 
Indians  took   along  a  supply  of  building 
lumber  and  other  material  with    the  ob- 
ject of  improving   their   habitations  and 
their   mode    of  living.      1    had   also   on 
board   several  thousand    feet   of  lumber 
antl   bricks  for  a  new  <  hun  h  in    hriendly 
Cove.    Nootka    Sound       These    Indians 
had  for  a  long  time  refused   my  ser\  ices 
as  a  jiriest.  an<l.  as  they  now  had  re])eat- 
edlv  asked  me  to  ilo  so.  I    concluded  to 
build  a  chapel  at  their  place. 

.After  discharging  men  and  freight  at 
1  lesquiat,  at  the  request  of  tlu'  captain,  1 
returned  on  board  ol'tiie  vessel,  as  shepiil 
up  sail,  and  so  we  started  on  December 


Vancouver  Island  ami  Its  Missions. 


8 1 


82 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


^l! 


a*  i 


17th,  about  noon.  The  wind  was  fa- 
voral)le  but  there  was  considrrahle  sea 
on  and  the  weatlier  as  a  whole  looked 
l)ad.  In  less  than  two  hours  we  were 
sailing  into  Nootka  Sound.  As  we 
neared  i-Viendly  Cove,  our  destination, 
the  wind  abated  and  soon  began  to  blow 
against  us. 

It  was  now  dark  and  the  wind  shift- 
ing again  it  became  favorable.  I  was 
down  below  when  the  captain,  (|uite  ex- 
<:ited,  came  down,  told  me  to  jnit  on  his 
"  mackintosh  "  and  follow  him  on  deck. 
He  wanted  me  to  act  as  interpreter, 
'{"here  were  two  Indians  on  board  whom 
he  could  not  understand,  but,  being  of 
this  district,  he  wanted  them  to  act  for 
us  as  i)ilots.  The  captain  had  been  only 
once  before  in  I'riendly  Cove,  and. 
the  weather  being  *io  very  thi(  k.  he  was 
not  sure  that  he  could  make  the  harbor. 
The  rain  fell  in  torrents  and  the  wintl 
blew  a  hurricane.  1  now  stood  against 
the  mainmast  and  the  Indians  were  giv- 
ing their  orders,  which  I  interpreted  for 
the  captain.  The  skipper  had  his 
misgivings  about  the  directions  given  by 
his  Indian  pilots  l>ut  he  followed  them. 
.  .  .  The  Indians  knew  the  entrance  to 
Friendly  Cove.  \'es,  that  was  the 
cove.  But  it  was  not  the  cove  ...  it 
was  a  small  bay,  close  to  the  entrance  of 
the  real  harbor,  which  we  hud  to  make  : 
and  the  I''aroiitt\  having  sailed  in  at 
full  speed,  was  before  long  looked  upon 
as  in  extreme  danger  close  to  and  touch- 
ing the  rocky  shore.  The  would-be 
pilots  were  des|)ondent  ;  the  skipper 
ke|")t  cool  and  ordered  his  sailors  to  run 
lines  on  shore,  fasten  them  to  the  rocks 
and  then  try  to  keep  the  vessel  from  go- 
ing to  pieces.  1  heard  him  make  only 
one  sour  remark  and  he  did  so  in  a 
solemn,  stern  way,  •'  I  could,"  said  he 
"shoot  those  sons  of  savages  as  they 
stand  in  their  boots."  The  mistake  was 
the\'  wore  no  boots. 

The  sailors,  after  fastening  lines  to  the 
rock  to  keep  the  vessel  frcjm  striking. 
<ame  back  on  board  and  began  to  jiut 
their    clothes    and     bilongings  in    tlu'ir 


traps  and  bags  to  have  them  ready  when 
ordered  to  abandon  the  vessel.  .\s  for 
myself,  I  was  advised  by  the  kind  captain 
to  turn  in,  if  I  wanted  a  couple  of  hours' 
rest.  Hut  h(jw  < ould  I  do  so  with  my 
shoes  full  of  water  and  on  a  vessel  that 
might  go  to  pieces  at  any  time?  I'hat 
night  was  a  dreary  one  for  us  all,  as  the 
vessel  began  to  roll  on  the  ro(  ks  and 
keeled  over  considerably.  ICarly  in  ihe 
morning,  as  the  tide  <  ame  in,  she  slid 
down  from  the  boulders  and  finally  was 
alloat  again.  The  men,  later  in  the  day, 
hauled  her  out  from  her  dangerous  posi- 
tion and  anchored  her  in  I'riendly 
C()\e.  She  was  damaged  very  noticeably 
and  from  tlu'  \er\  start  she  took  in  (juite 
a  deal  of  water. 

The  next  six  days  were  spent  in 
Friendly  Cove  —  about  the  most 
dreary  days  I  have  spent  in  this  worldly 
sphere.  There  were  no  Indians  around, 
the  weather  was  bad  and  everyone  on 
board  seemed  dejected  and  downcast. 

However,  we  made  a  start  for  home  on 
Friday — a  week  since  we  had  entered 
-Nootka  Sound — a  light,  northerly  bree/e 
was  blowing,  hardly  strong  enough  to 
move  us  out  of  the  channel.  When  the 
everlasting  easterly  (toochi)  wind  sprung 
up,  it  favored  us  for  a  time.  .\t  four 
o'clock  I'.  M.  we  were  off  Hole-in  the 
Wall,  at  the  mouth  of  the  great  harbor. 

But  the  weather  looked  thick  and  the 
captain  determined  to  "lay  to"  that 
night.  I  forgot  to  state  that  as  socui  as 
the  \essel  began  to  roll,  her  pimips  were 
called  into  recjuisition  every  fifteen  min- 
utes and  an  amount  of  water  came  forth 
eai  h  time. 

Meanwhile  the  ]-\vorite  was  drift- 
ing southwest;  the  wind  increased  as 
night  ad\anced,  and  about  ten  o'clock 
the  second  mate  came  down,  drenched 
with  rain,  and  reported,  for  mv  consola- 
tion, that  we  were  dritting  to  the  south- 
west like  a  "bundle  of  straw.'  Later, 
at  the  shift  of  the  .sailors'  watch,  I  over- 
heard a  se<  ret  conversation  whi(  h  was  to 
to  the  effect  that,  if  they  evergot  into  i)ort, 
the  sailors  would  abandon  the  vi'ssel  and 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


«3 


grt  to    town    tlie    best  way  they   could, 
riitlicr  than  stay  on  the  leaking  cial't. 

Further  details  would  be  superlluous. 
Suttiix'  it  to  say  that  tor  a  whole  week  we 
were  in  a  continuation  of  gales  of  wind 
and  rain.  The  sailors  were  at  the  pumps 
(lay  and  night,  i'he  waves  rolled  right 
over  the  vessel  .  .  .  the  mainsail  was 
split  to  atoms.    .    .    . 

.At  last  a  westerly  wind  came  to  our 
assistance,  land  was  Mghted  and  after 
sailing  a  full  day  before  the  wind  we  at 
last  cast  anchor  in  IIes(piiat  harbor. 
.According  to  our  captain's  reckoning  we 
had  been  blown  a  hundred  miles  from 
shore  and  out  of  our  course. 

\\'e  had  a  fnie  Christmas — all  the 
savages  of  this  neighborhood  were  pres- 
ent, all  the  Christians  went  to  Confession 
and  those  who  had  been  accustomed  to 
do  so  received  Holy  Communion. 

Close  of  iSSS. — There  are  now  in 
Hescjuiat  only  three  or  four  families  of 
real  pagan  Indians  and  a  few  old  men 
and  women.  The  rest  of  the  settlement 
are  Christians — some  of  them  very  fer- 
vent, the  others  less  so;  yet  alwa\s 
attentive  at  church  and  of  good  be- 
havior. 

1S89.  .May. —  i'he  old  chief  i'ownis- 
seii.  the  father  of  Matlaliaw,  the  would- 
be  murderer,  and  who  was  accused,  for 
plausible  reasons,  of  having  encouraged 
his  son  to  commit  the  deed,  died  here 
the  other  daw  'i'he  old  man  had  a 
better  chance  than  his  son,  who  had  died 
unbapti/ed  and  impenitent,  to  meet  his 
Maker  and  judge.  I'or  se\eral  years  he 
had  been  a  regular  attendant  at  <  hurch. 
was  an  example  to  his  subjects  and  was 
baptized  and  rereive<l  all  the  rites  of  the 
Church  before  his  death.      R.I.F. 

August.  —  I  built  a  new  (  hapel  in 
Kriendly  Co\e  tor  the  .Nootka  Indians. 
I  employed  three  Indians  to  help  me. 
I  did  the  carpenter  work  myself.  The 
Indians  made  >hingles  and  generally 
helped  me  to  jiut  u|i  the  building.  It 
is  a  very  neat  structure,  but  the  inside 
work  is  not  finished  for  the  want  of 
lining.      .As  soon  as  possil)le  I  assembled 


the  people  and  baptized  their  newly- 
born  (  hildren.  1  then  left  them  for  the 
winter  season.  .\s  I  was  preparing  my 
canoe  to  return  to  llesipiiat,  most  of  the 
people  made  also  arrangements  to  go  up 
the  rivers  for  the  salmon  season. 

i.Syo. —  I  saw  the  Nootka  Indians, 
stayed  with  them  a  short  time  and  then 
went  on  a  voyage  to  I'.urope — the  fnst 
since  my  arrival  in  the  country  twenty- 
one  years  ago. 

.November.  —  I  returned  from  the  old 
country,  where  I  had  spent  four  months, 
and  secured  the  necessary  funds  tor. a 
new  chun  h  in  Mescpiiat.  It  was  about 
time  to  move  out  of  the  old  building, 
tor  it  had  become  a  complete  wreck.  It 
rained  on.  my  head  as  I  was  saying  Mass, 
and  the  floor  of  the  body  of  the  build- 
ing was  covered  with  water.  It  was  the 
poorest  church  in  Christendom.  One 
of  the  fruits  of  my  lluropean  voyage  will 
be  the  possession  of  a  better  place  for 
Divine  Service. 

I1S91,  March. — Two  I'rench  Canadian 
carpenters  arrived  here  last  month  on  the 
schooner  /■'aron'/r,  loaded  with  building 
material,  in  order  to  build  our  new 
church  at  Hes(piiat.  On  account  of  the 
general  boom  in  liritish  Columbia  the 
wages  are  very  high,  my  men  being  paid 
three  dollars  and  fifty  cents  per  day 
(each)  and  their  board.  The  plan  of 
the  new  church  was  made  by  Stephen 
Donovan,  of  \'i(  toria,  but  was  consid- 
erably modified  on  account  of  lack  of 
means  to  jxit  u\)  a  building  such  as  he 
had  (h.'signed. 

October. —  1  understand  that  a  young 
man  re])resenting  the  I'resbj  terian 
('hurch  of  Canada  has  taken  u])  his  resi- 
dence at  .Mberin.  Han  lay  Sound,  and 
has  be"in  introduced  by  the  Indian  agent 
to  the  natives  of  that  distri(  t. 

1S92. — Some  of  the  Indians  are  not 
behaving  as  well  as  they  ought  to  do. 
Their  contact  with  the  sailors  on  the 
leaking  schooners  has  a  bad  effect.  It  is 
too  bad  that  after  all  the  trouble  I  have 
ha  I  a  class  of  white  men,  who  ought  to 
know  better,  should  excite    them  against 


84 


\'ancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


nu'  ;  and  yet  only  for  my  presence  on 
thf  coast  their  life  and  property  would 
not  he  safe.  Satan  has  more  than  one 
means  to  i)erv'ert  good  jieople  and  hin- 
der the  work  of  Clod  from  going  ahead. 
In  the  ])resent  ( ase  so-called  Christian 
white  men  are  his  chosen  tools. 

July. —  I'here  is  great  excitement  here 
since  .several  days,  and  the  old  pagan 
])eople  are  exceedingly  jjrovoking  It  was 
known  all  along  the  coast  that  Antonin. 
the  young  (  hief  here,  and  the  son  of  Mat- 
lahaw,  the  would-be  murderer,  was  sick 
and  sinking  fast  of  consumption.  'I'he 
young  man,  a  good  lad,  was  |)reparing 
for  death  as  a  Christian.  Now  the  chiefs 
from  the  neighborhood  sent  medicine- 
men and  medicine-women  to  tempt  him 
and  make  him  renounce  Christianity  and 
have  recourse  to  the  old  superstitious 
practices.  All  their  efforts  were  of  no 
avail,  and  the  young  lad  died  after  re- 
ceiving the  last  rites  of  the  Church.  He 
was  buried  in  the  cemetery  with  grand 
solemnity,  but  the  old  people  objected 
and  used  every  means  to  jirevent  it. 
Being  defeated  in  this  matter  they  insisted 
that  the  house  of  the  young  chief  should 
be  broken  down  and  burned.  This  was 
always  done  in  the  case  of  anybody  dying 
childless,  especially  if  the  departed  was  a 
chief.  At  first  I  oi)jected,  but  as  the 
aunt  was  willing  to  allow  the  movers 
to  have  their  own  way  I  withdrew  my 
opposition.  .\nd  so  the  young  chief's 
house,  which  he  had  built  and  intendetl 
to  occup)  as  soon  as  he  was  married,  was 
torn  down  and  burned  on  the  beach. 
The  Hestiuiats  have  no  chief  again.  The 
aunt  of  the  departed  boy  will  now  be 
considered  as  occupying  the  dignity  until 
her  infant  son  becomes  of  age. 

I*'ebruary,  1895. —  The  Right  Rev. 
Bishop  I.emmens  paid  his  first  visit  to 
the  Indians  of  this  district.  As  the 
Bishop  had  not  given  notice  of  his 
arrival,  no  reception  was  prejjared  for 
him.  .Most  of  the  Indians  were  absent, 
but  wlien  they  heard  of  the  presence  of 
His  Lordship  they  all  came  to  the  mis- 
sion and  on  Sunday,  January  29th,  were 


all  present  at  the  blej-sing  of  my  new 
(  hiirch  in  the  morning  and  the  blessii^g 
of  the  Stations  of  the  (,"ross  in  the 
afternoon. 

.\s  a  piece  of  bad  news  the  Hishoptold 
me  that  the  .Methodists  were  prejiaring 
to  put  up  a  mission  in  N'ittinut  ami  had 
obtained  a  grant  of  five  hundred  dollars 
from  the  Dominion  (lovernment  for 
missionary  purposes.  They  had  asked 
and  obtained  the  grant  for  the  building 
of  a  school,  but  ofcour.se  with  them  that 
also  means  a  meeting-house  or  a  church. 

December. — My  jjeople  this  year 
have  had  considerable  sickness  in  the 
village  and  many  deaths  have  oci  iirred. 
It  casts  a  gloom  over  the  place.  Other- 
wise the  outlook  is  good. 

July,  1X94.  —  During  my  absence  a 
party  of  Indians  from  the  State  of  Wash- 
ington came  across  the  Straits  of  l.uca 
with  a  supply  of  whisky  which  they  in- 
tended to  dispose  of  in  Hesipiiat.  As 
soon  as  the  presence  of  the  licjuor  in  the 
settlement  became  known,  three  of  my 
Christian  Indians  went  and  took  it  away 
and  secreted  it  in  one  of  the  rooms  of 
my  house.  1  reported  this  to  the  Indian 
Department  and  the  men,  who  had  acted 
so  judiciously  in  confiscating  the  vile 
spirits,  received  each  a  reward  of  twenty 
dollars  from  the  Dominion  (lovernment. 

Very  touching  stories  reached  us  from 
Xootka  The  Indians  of  this  district, 
having  refused  my  services  as  a  |)riestfor 
a  long  time,  are  not  as  well  instructed  as 
they  might  have  been.  They  were  not 
of  real  bad  will,  but  the  chief  having  lost 
his  only  child  the  whole  tribe  went  in. 
mourning,  the  consecpience  being  that 
they  excluded  not  only  their  games  but 
also  the  practice  of  religion.  So  that  on 
one  occasion  as  I  jjresented  myself  1  was 
told  in  the  name  of  the  chief,  a  crue 
pagan  and  bigamist,  that  my  presence 
was  not  retiuired.  Since  then,  however, 
they  have  sent  for  me  and  seem  to  be 
well  disposed  again,  as  I  had  occasion  to 
notice  when  1  visited  them  last. 

One  of  their  young  men,  having 
been   si(  k  a  very  long  time   and    feeling 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


85 


that  his  end  was  roming,  sent  for  his 
nearest  relatives,  'lins  is  usual  with  all 
the  Indians  of  this  coast  and  tlie  scenes 
that  are  then  enacted  are  sometimes 
most  touching. 

The  patient  is  duly  prepared  for  the 
arrival  of  the  visitors.  One  <  onies  in 
after  the  other,  the  men  stoically,  tlie 
women  with  a  sad  face  and  a  weeping 
voice,  nod  their  heads  to  the  |)atient; 
then  when  they  are  all  seated  they  all 
begin  to  cry  and  lament  and  wail.  '!  he 
noise  which  they  make  as  they  all  join  in 
the  songs  of  grief  must  be  a  torture  to 
the  dying  relative,  but  it  is  meant  as  a 
compliment  and  it  is  taken  as  such  ;  it  is 
a  matter  of  pride  and  deej)  consolation 
to  the  living  when  not  only  near  and 
distant  relatives  call,  but  especially  if  the 
chief  and  his  subjects  related  to  the 
patient  extend  a  visit  of  ( ondolence. 
After  death  it  is  always  remembered  who 
did  and  who  did  not  call  and  the  feeling 
of  the  living  is  good  or  bad  toward  their 
neighbors  in  accordance  with  the  fact 
that  they  have  or  have  not  performed 
this  act  of  eti(piette. 

After  a  spell  of  crying  and  lamenta- 
tions speeches  are  made  by  the  chiefs 
telling  the  patient  to  have  a  good  heart, 
reminding  him  of  his  acts  of  daring  and 
his  success  as  a  hunter,  etc.,  when  all 
begin  to  retire,  leaving  only  his  nearest 
relatives  to  whom  he  e.xpresses  his  last 
wishes,  the  disposition  to  be  made  of 
his  worldly  possessions  and  many  other 
matters. 

In  this  i)resent  case  the  poor  young 
fellow,  after  the  above  scenes  and  formal- 
ities had  been  gone  through,  being  now 
left  alone  with  his  mother,  his  step- 
father and  a  half-brother,  gave  orders  to 
count  the  money  which  he  had  still  left. 
He  had  been  a  great  sea-otter  hunter 
and  very  successful,  especially  the  last 
season.  He  then  sent  his  half  i)rother 
for  a  suit  of  new  clothes  whi(  h  he  put  on 
— the  Indians  always  i)ut  on  to  the  dying 
their  best  clothes  and  l)lankets.  Tiien 
he  sent  for  another  suit  and  under- 
clothes.     The    trader   told   me   that   he 


sjient  over  one  hundred  dollars  for 
wearing  ajjparel  in  his  place,  and  the 
orders  of  the  dying  man  were  that  what 
he  could  not  put  on  shoidil  be  enclosed 
in  the  coffin  or  box  in  whicli  his  body 
was  put  for  burial. 

It  is  a  very  curious  custom,  but  in 
most  cases  the  coffin  of  the  Indians  con- 
tains not  only  the  body,  but  also  a  great 
many  things  dear  to  the  dead  one,  su(  h 
as  clothes,  toys,  money,  his  own  and 
also  blankets  presented  for  the  ])urpose 
l)y  his  friends.  His  favorite  dog  is  killed, 
his  canoe  split  uj),  his  watch  or  clock 
destroyed  ;  anything  and  everything  that 
would  remind  the  living  of  the  dead  rel- 
ative is  done  away  with  and  gotten  out 
of  sight  .\s  noticed  already,  articles  or 
parts  of  articles  having  belonged  to  an 
enemy  are  also  very  often  ent  losed  with 
the  body,  the  idea  and  belief  being  that 
such  a  |)roceeding  will  have  the  effect  of 
causing  si(  kness  ami  death  to  an  ailver- 
sar\ . 

The  other  case  referred  to  was  that  of  a 
young  man  whose  two  little  children  had 
died  before  him.  He  evidently  e.\i)ected 
to  join  them  in  the  ne.\t  world,  for  shortly 
before  his  death  he  sent  a  messenger  to 
the  nearest  trading  station  with  orders  to 
buy  such  and  such  toys,  at  one  time  dear 
to  his  little  ones,  and  he  ordered  them 
placed  in  the  coffin  with  his  own  body  the 
moment  his  death  woidd  occur. 

This  was  an  old  practice  and  the  fact 
that  it  existed  before  the  arrival  of  a 
priest  on  this  coast  proves  that  the 
natives  believed  in  a  life  after  this  life. 
^Vere  they  not  ahead  of  some  of  our  civ- 
ilized would-be  scientists? 

1895. — ( )ur  Indians  all  over  the  coast 
are  well  disposed  ;  the  iieoi)le  of  Iles- 
([uiat,  with  the  exception  of  some  old 
men  and  women,  being  Catholics  and 
most  of  them  very  exemplary. 

This  being  known  seems  to  have  e.x- 
cited  the  Presbyterian  and  Methotlist 
(.lenomiu'itions,  and  their  efforts  to  in- 
vade the  coast  are  very  jjronounc  ed. 
Now  that  the  Indians  are  more  than 
half  civili/ed   and  are   withal    peaceable 


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Sciences 
Corporation 


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86 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


t3. 

hi 


and  docilf.  the  sects  will  come  and  give 
us  trouble  A  monthly  steamer  now  also 
visits  the  coast,  as  the  government  has 
established  a  Scandinavian  settlement  at 
Cape  Scott,  the  northern  end  of  the 
island,  and  bound  itself  to  carry  the 
mails  and  provisions  once  a  month.  With 
these  facilities  of  travel  and  the  peaceful 
behavior  of  the  natives  all  along  the 
coist,  the  zeal  of  the  Protestant  ministers 
has  grown  to  the  extent  that  tliey  now 
have  established  themselves  at  different 
points  on  the  coast.  When  a  man's  life 
was  in  danger  and  when  the  only  means 
of  traveling  was  an  Indian  (  anoe  ;  when 
the  mails  reached  us  only  once  or  twice  a 
year  .  .  .  we  were  wel(  ome  to  do  alone 
the  work  of  converting  the  natives  ;  but 
now  with  the  present  fa<  ilities  and  the 
absence  of  danger,  the  ministers  come 
in  sight  to  give  us  trouble  and  to  pervert 
our  Indian  <  hildren. 

.After  mature  reflection  I  made  u\)  my 
mind  to  projmse  to  our  Hishop  a  plan 
for  his  ai)|)robation.  I  would  build  in  a 
central  part  of  the  coast  an  industrial 
school  for  boys  and  girls. 

August. — We  had  a  retreat  for  the 
clergy  last  month.  All  the  i)riests  of  the 
diocese  were  present,  liefore  returning 
to  my  mission  I  spoke  to  the  Hishop  of 
the  idea  of  a  boarding-school  for  our 
<hildren.  His  Lordship  (ailed  on  the 
Indian  agent,  who  jiromised  that  he 
would  obtain  a  grant  for  the  supjiort  of 
the  teai  hers  and  children  from  the  Do- 
minion (lovernment.  Next  1  was  sent 
for  and  this  same  agent  urged  me  to  |)ut 
up  the  buildings  at  once,  and  said  that 
as  soon  as  the  school  was  o(  i  upied  a  per 
capita  grant  would  be  available. 

Kverything  we  asked  for  was  promised 
by  the  agent,  and  so  1  returned  to  my 
mission,  rejoicing  in  tiie  tiiought  that 
the  efforts  of  the  Protestant  ministers 
would  be  unsuccessful.  If  we  could 
keeji  the  children  from  perversion,  our 
position  was  safe. 

I  am  now  sorry  to  put  on  rei  ord  that. 
per  letter  from  the  head  of  our  diocese, 
I   was   yesterday   informed    tiiat  I  must 


abandon  the  idea  of  having  a  boarding- 
school  which,  in  my  mind,  is  the  only 
means  to  save  the  fruits  of  my  labors  of 
more  than  twenty  years  Hut,  it  is  so  I 
1  must  submit  and  be  resigned  to  the 
regulations  of  the  one  who  rules  over  me 
— my  Hishop. 

1896. — .\  young  man  representing  the 
Presbyterian  Church  is  now  stationed  in 
.\housat.  lie  is  a  school  teacher  by 
profession,  but  he  holds  divine  service 
on  .Sunday.  He  established  himself  be- 
tween two  missions  having  a  resident 
priest  He  will  do  nothing  himself,  but 
he  will  report  as  a  credit  to  himself,  any 
improvements  these  Indians  will  make, 
and  yet  all  the  credit  will  belong  to  the 
example  of  my  |)eople  in  Hescpiiat.  and 
that  of  the  Clayo(|uot  tribe.  .And  the 
poor  little  children  so  anxious  to  learn 
to  read  and  to  write  will  be  perverted 
without  noticing  it. 

1.S97. — News  has  reached  me  that 
Hishop  I.emmens  died  in  duatemala. 
So  then  we  are  aga'n  without  a  Hishop. 
It  is  reported  that  he  died  of  the  fever 
of  that  swampy  country,  where  he  had 
gone  to  collec  t  funds  for  his  new  cathe- 
dral in  \'ictoria.      K.  I.  P. 

1.S98,  February. —  This  year  opened 
with  sickness  in  the  settlement.  Whoop- 
ing cough  was  brought  here  by  a  family 
of  visiting  strangers.  'I'hey  were  here 
several  days  and  their  children  having 
the  whooping  cough  communicated  the 
dreaded  disease  to  our  children.  I  have 
my  hands  full  just  now. 

February  15.  —  To-day,  after  a  s])ell  of 
vain-glory,  I  feel  terriiily  dis-appointed. 
Here  are  the  details  :  The  night  l)efore 
last  I  was  called  out  about  midnight  to 
visit  the  child  ofa  young  coui>le.  I'hey 
wanted  medical  treatment  for  the  (  ough- 
ing  infant.  It  was  a  dark  night  but  the 
sky  was  ( loudless.  So  then  I  took  my 
lantern,  whistled  for  my  dog  and  wended 
my  wav  in  the  direction  of  the  village. 
I  noticed  a  light  in  some  of  the  houses, 
for  there  was  sickness  in  almost  all  of 
them.  The  wolves  were  howling  in  the 
distant  e,  and  the  lutlian  tlogs  were  bark- 


Vancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


87 


ing  at  the  rising  moon.  The  sea  was 
breaking  against  the  shore,  but  there  was 
not  a  human  sou!  to  break  the  solemnity 
ancl  the  monotony  of  the  midnight  hour. 
Oh,  what  a  wild,  lonely  country  this  is 
after  all  I  In  the  home  I  was  impatiently 
ex|)e(  ted  ;  the  grandparents,  four  of 
them,  an<l  the  young  mother  looked  up 
to  me  with  eyes  full  of  tears.  .  .  The 
child  was  very  bad:  the  chest  and  lungs 
very  much  aft'ected.  I  administered  the 
usual  remedies  and  returned  home  with 
the  expi..  tation  of  having  another  funeral. 
Yesterday  I  went  over  agnin;  my  patient 
was  mui  h  better  and  likely  to  recover: 
this  made  me  feel  good  and  the  thought 
of  vain  glory  got  the  best  of  me.  '"o  day 
1  feel  bad:  the  child  is  dead.  This 
morning,  as  I  went  to  church  to  ring  my 
bell  for  Mass,  I  found  under  the  bell- 
tower  a  small  box  (ontaining  all  that  was 
mortal  of  the  dear  little  child  whom  yes- 
terday I  prided  myself  on  having  treated 
and  restored  to  health. 

April. — I  lost  a  fev>  days  ago  one 
of  the  most  sensible  and  most  jiious  ])er- 
sons  it  has  been  my  fortune  to  have  in 
my  parish.  This  «oman  for  several 
years  refused  to  become  a  Christian  and 
gave  as  a  reason  that  she  was  afraid  that 
she  might  be  temjjted  and  return  to  the 
old  pagan  pra<  tices  She  was  converted 
at  last  and  from  the  day  of  her  re<  eption 
in  the  Chun  h  by  baptism  she  attended 
Mass  every  day  of  the  week  and  was  at 
church  every  Sunday  twice.  She  had 
made  her  first  Communion  and  was  con- 
firmed :  and  as  her  son  was  inclined  to 
be  wild  and  thoughtless  she  never  ceased 
to  warn  him.  Her  last  message  to  her 
tamily.  was  to  remain  faithful  to  and  lol- 
low  the  instructions  of  the  priest  She 
received  the  last  sacraments  and  oh  ! 
how  tou(  hing  it  was  to  see  her  with  her 
beads  in  her  hands  :  and  when  she  could 
not  speak  any  more  raise  up  her  hand 
and  point  her  linger  towards  heaven  ! 
The  faith  of  those  people  and  the  trust 
they  have  in  (iod  at  their  last  moments 
are  worth)  of  all  admiration.  I  have  as- 
sisted many  good  peojile  at  the   hour  of 


death,  but  I  have  never  been  so  much 
edified  as  when  I  assisted  this  good  wo- 
man a  few  days  ago 

She  was  buried  01,  Sunday  morning 
at  the  parrchial  Mass.  Her  husband 
with  his  beads  in  hands  said  the  prayers 
aloud,  to  which  the  rest  of  the  peoi)le 
answered.  I  attempted  to  say  a  few 
words,  but  the  sadness  in  the  chiir<  h  was 
such  that  1  broke  down  and  cried  with 
the  rest.  Su<  h  a  scene  of  sadness  and 
the  feelings  of  sympathy  expressed  by  the 
good  people  cannot  bedesc  ribed  nor  even 
imagined  by  anybody  who  was  not  pres- 
ent at  the  funeral  last  Sunday  morning. 
Cod  rest  the  good  Indian  woman  and 
may  she  pray  for  us  ! 

May. —  The  rumor  which  reached  us 
some  time  ago  that  we  have  a  new  Mishoj) 
proves  to  be  true,  for  I  have  just  received 
a  letter  trom  Rev.  .\.  Christie,  of  Minne- 
ap'^'is,  inviting  me  to  his  consecration, 
which  is  to  take  jihue  on|une2<j,  in 
St.  I'aul.  Minn.  I  know  nothing  about 
Father  Christie.  I5ut  I  wrote  a  letter  of 
«  ongratulation  to  him  and  bade  him  wel- 
(  oine  to  \'ancou\  er.  />>  //ri//,  ///\  <////  ;rnif 
in  nomiui'  Ihuiiiui.  and  iid  niit/fos  iiiinos. 

.\ugust.  —  Hishop  Christie  was  <  onse- 
crated  in  St.  Paul,  Minn  ,  June  29tli.and 
arrived  in  his  new  dio<  ese  on  the  5th  of 
.August.  He  received  a  grand  reception 
from  the  people  and  his  |)resen(  e  made  a 
good  impression  on  them. 

With  new  courage  and  the  pros])ects  of 
an  early  vi>it  to  our  missions  by  the  new 
prelite,  I  returned  to  iii\  house  in  Hes- 
quiat  and  began  at  once  to  prepare  some 
of  my  peo|»le  tor  Confirmation. 

i.S()9 — I  received  a  letter  from  Ilishop 
Christie  with  this  message:  •'(,"oiiieto 
N'ictoria  at  once.  I  want  to  consult  with 
you  aiiout  building  a  boarding  school  for 
the  Indian  children  of  the  west  coast.  I 
have  just  returned  from  ( )ttawa  and  have 
obtained  a  ])er  capita  grant  from  the(iov- 
ernment  for  fifty  <  h'ldren.  If  we  do  not 
accept  the  grant  it  will  be  given  to  one 
of  the  se(  ts  :  your  children  will  be  per- 
verted and  you  will  lose  the  fruit  of  all 
your  labors." 


88 


Vancouver  Island  and  it>  Missions. 


.'    f 


I ) 


r  ! 


,'■•    ! 


9 


Since  Bishop  I.emnuMis  had  abaiKioncd 
the  idea  of  such  a  school,  as  I  had  pro- 
posed to  him  live  \  -ars  ago,  I  had  never 
mentioned  to  him  the  advisal)iiity  of  the 
•indertaking  since  that  time.  It  must 
have  become  evident  to  the  priests 
nearer  to  the  Hishoj)  than  myself  that  the 
ivork  was  a  rer  i  necessity  for  the  silva- 
tion  of  our  Indian  children. 

In  Victoria  the  good  IJishop  Christie 
explained  all  his  plans.  "Hut,"'  said  he, 
"  Father,  we  have  no  money  to  do  the 
work.  However,  let  us  conmience  at 
once,  /)ct4<  f^roviih-hit.  Return  to  the 
( oast  at  the  first  opportunity,  choose  a 
<  entral  location  and  1  will  send  up  lumber 
and  men  to  <lo  the  work." 

I  went  back  a  few  days  later  and 
chose  Clayo(|Uot  Sound  as  a  location 
ea.sily  accessible  to  all  the  Indians  of  the 
coast. 

.\t  the  foot  of  a  mountain  in  Dec  ep- 
tion  Channel  I  found  and  sec  u red  a  large 
piece  of  table  land  o|)en  to  pre-emption 
and  away  from  all  Indian  settlements.  It 
is  fifty  feet  above  the  surfac  e  of  a  fine 
bay  which  at  low  water  has  a  sandy  beach 
of  more  than  twenty  acres — a  iiugnil'n  ent 
playground  for  the  c  hildren.  It  is  also 
in  proximity  to  another  bay.  a  real  clam- 
field,  so  that  with  a  bay  swarming  with 
salmon  and  other  fish  and  a  large  field  of 
clams,  the  expense  of  su|)porting  the 
children  will  be  considerably  reduc  eel  and 
their  health  will  be  benefited,  for  all  our 
people  from  their  very  infancy  look  upon 
fish  as  their  main  food  and  they  ar:knowl- 
eclge  that  without  fish  they  cannot  iive 
and  keep  their  health. 

A  few  days  later  I  received  another 
letter  from  liishoj)  Christie,  announcing 
that  he  was  to  leave  us  and  go  to  Port- 
land, Ore. .  as  the  succ  essor  of  .\rc  hbishoji 
Gross.  The  Archbisiiop-elect  now  told 
me  ag?in  to  go  ahead  with  tiie  work,  in- 
sisting that  if  the  school  was  not  built 
now  it  would  never  be  l)uilt,  and  that 
either  the  Methodists  or  the  Presbyterians 
would  get  our  grant  and  use  it  to  pervert 
our  Catholic  children.  In  the  course  of 
conversation  afterwards  His    (Irace  told 


me  that  he  had  talked  the  matter  over 
with  his  \'icar  (leneral,  and  they  had 
(  ome  to  the  cone  lusion  that  as  soon  as 
the  work  was  well  started  I  should  go 
abroad  to  collect  the  necessary  funds. 
"And,"  said  he.  "  Father,  let  us  go 
ahead  :  the  work  of  your  life  will  be 
destroyed.  It  will  be  lost  if  we  neglect 
this  chance  offered  by  the  (lovernment. 
We  must  ]iut  up  the  buildings  and  jiay 
for  them  ourselves,  but  the  Indian 
I)e|iartment  will  by  a  generous  yearly 
grant  do  the  rest.  1  have  ordered  the 
lumber  and  the  men  will  go  up  next 
month  ;  i)ut  when  the  buildings  are 
up,  you  will  have  to  go  Fast  and  ask 
the  good  |)eople  out  there  to  extend  to 
us  a  hel|)ing  hand.  .And,  Father,  do  not 
be  uneasy  :  you  will  do  well.  The 
l)eoi)le  out  there  do  not  know  what  you 
are  doing  for  the  salvation  of  souls  ;  I 
had  no  idea  of  it  myself  before  coming 
here.  I  )o  not  i)repare  any  lectures,  but 
speak  to  the  i)eoi)le  as  you  speak  to  us. 
.  .  .  The  jmests  will  allow  you  to  speak 
in  their  chun  hes  ;  whatever  you  get 
from  their  peojile  will  not  affect  them.  I 
have  experienced  that  nijself  when  I  was 
rector  of  St.  Stephen's  church  in  Minne- 
apolis." 

( )clober. — ( )ur  sc  hool  is  now  built.  .  . 

i.S74-i8c;(). 

Twenty- five  years  have  now  ela|)sed 
since  I  first  set  foot  on  the  western  shore 
of  X'ancouver  Island.  When  I  first  met 
the  inhabitants  of  that  desolate  coast,  they 
were  savage,  immoral  and  treacherous. 
Their  dwellings  were  hovels  of  filth  and 
misery;  their  attire  a  blanket  of  c  edar 
bark,  dog's  hair  or  othe.  inferior  artide; 
they  were  addic  ted  to  witc  h<  raft  and  in- 
iHimerable  superstitious  practices.  .Ml 
alone  in  the  wilderness,  deprived  of  the 
company  of  friends  or  white  men,  with  no 
mails  excejit  once  or  twice  a  year,  I  have 
spent  many  mournful  seasons  without 
seeing  any  encouraging  results  of  my 
arduous  labors. 

liut  Cod  has  been  kind  to  me  and  has 
granted  me  the  grace  to  persevere,  and 


X'ancouver  Island  and  Its  Missions. 


fc9 


has  rewarded  my  lal)ors  by  the  conver- 
sion of  many  of  my  jioor  people.  With 
Christianity,  th'-y  have  adopted  civili/a- 
tion.  The  peo|)Ie  immediately  under  my 
charge  are  now,  as  a  whole,  docile  and 
law  abiding.  They  have  used  their 
earnings  to  improve  their  material  con- 
ditions. 'I'hey  have  bnilt  neat  and  clean 
dwelling  houses;  they  dress  well,  both 
men  and  women,  after  the  fashion  of 
<  iviiized  people;  they  are  regular  at 
chiin  h  and  at  the  Sacraments.  Visitors 
are  edified  to  see  them  at  chur(  !j  and  do 
not  cease  praising  them  for  the  spe<  tacle 
they  present  when  at  their  devotions. 
They  look  more  like  a  congregation  of 
white  people  than  one  of  native  Indians. 
It  is  to  be  regretted  that  now,  when 
these  people  have  so  much  improved  by 
our  instructions,  outsiders  should  come: 
that  Methodist  and  Presbyterian  minis- 
ters should  intrude  and  sow  discord 
amongst  them.  \'et  it  was  to  be  ex- 
pected, for  it  is  their  pride,  not  to 
civilize  savage  nations,  but  to  pervert 
them,  after  the  Catholic  priests  have 
converted  them  to  Christianty,  and  sown 
the  seed  of  civilization.     ( )ur  case  is  not 


an  exceptional   one,  but   it   is  none  the 
less  saddening  and  painful. 

However,  with  the  grace  of  Cod,  no 
means  will  be  spared  to  protect  our 
people.  It  may  have  been  rash  on  unr 
part  to  put  up  for  our  dear  Indian 
( hildren,  with  the  object  that  they  may 
not  be  i)erverted,  the  buildings  of  a 
central  boarding-school  for  which  we 
have  to  p:iy,  although  we  have  not  the 
means.  iJut  under  the  protection  of 
St.  Joseph,  and  with  the  assistance  of 
St.  .\ntoiiy,  we  hope  to  be  able  to 
secure  the  necessary  funds  to  i)ay  for  the 
work  just  completed,  the  Indian  Hoard- 
ing School  in  St.  .Mary's  IJay,  Clayo- 
i|U<)t  Sound,  \'an(  ouver  Island. 

With  the  blessing  of  .\rchbi.shop 
Christie,  and  his  best  wishes  of  "Cod 
s|)eed,"  I  must  now  set  out  and  ask  the 
good  Catholics  of  the  Kastern  States  to 
extend  a  heljjing  and  generous  hand  to 
bring  this  work,  in  all  probability  the 
last  of  my  life,  to  a  successful  issue. 
.\.  J,  Hkaiiant, 
Hescpuat,  W.  Coast, 

\an< ouver  Island,  Canada. 

October,  1X99. 


